RRR
by ruadh sidhe
Summary: Xander, Red and Shane in the South Pacific rescue one of X's surf buddies and his girl... who just happens to be a Senator's daughter.
1. Chapter 4

Red noticed immediately that something had disturbed her friend. She glanced over at him as he slid in behind the wheel. "Everything okay, Sweetie?" He looked pretty rattled and that wasn't like him.

"Yeah, we're good." He mumbled, quietly. Not looking at her.

_He's embarrassed. What could have upset him so? _"Shane?" She was concerned. "Are you sure you want to do this? You're not in trouble, are you?"

"No, it's fine." He sighed. "Commander Harris just did some checking. I should have expected it. He knows who you are and where we're going." He glanced across as he pulled out into traffic; the base was busy early. "Even offered back-up if things get messy."

She just looked at him. "Sooo... ?"

Her brows lifted when he blushed again. So cute, the way his ears went red. He sighed. "Apparently, there are stories going around... I'm gonna kill Sam when I find him."

She inhaled sharply. "Ohh. Oh, no! Did he actually... ?"

"Yeah. Harris said I'm his 'hero'. If he heard it, everybody on base must know. I'm never gonna live this down." He looked at her, silently asking forgiveness. "And he had no right to say anything about you."

Red sighed. "Oh, Sam. You silly boy. Don't kill him, Shane. He really does look up to you. But, I hope he had enough sense not to mention my name?"

The big man nodded, still annoyed, but calming down. "No, Harris said no names... but the description was good enough for him to figure it out." He shook his head. "Kid shoulda known better. He knows you're CIA."

"I'm sure it will be fine, Shane. People forget these things pretty quickly. Story of the day, you know? Tomorrow it will be someone else." She soothed him.

"Hope so. Anyway, we got half an hour before the flight. Time to grab a quick bite if you haven't eaten yet?" They were already crossing the bridge to North Island, well ahead of time for the flight.

"Just coffee. It was too early when I left the cabin. I have a good hour's drive into Denver."

"So, we hit the commissary? Then you'll want the facilities before we board. It's a long flight to Hawaii."

"Are you sure we'll have time? What are we taking? I packed some granola bars and water, just in case."

"Save 'em for the flight. It's a C-40... only thing going that way for a few days. Supply plane. You have a jacket? Gonna be cold on board." Red nodded and patted her backpack. Shane parked and insisted on pulling her larger bag, his duffel slung over his shoulder.

Hand on her elbow, he steered her to the mess and they had a quick breakfast. Red went to the ladies' room and took care of emptying her bladder. Checking her face, she touched up her lipstick and tied back her hair. She came out of the bathroom just in time to see Shane doing the same.

He secured their bags himself near the pull-down seats along the side of the plane and they settled in. He had donned his jacket already, so she pulled hers out of her bag and slipped it on.

Take-off was smooth and they relaxed, chatting about inconsequentials for a while until both grew tired of shouting. Shane leaned back and closed his eyes, resting while he could. So Red decided it was probably wise for her to do the same.

But she curled sideways in the seat and lay her head on his shoulder. He grinned down at her and lifted his arm, waiting for her to make herself comfortable before wrapping his arm around her shoulders. She snuggled in, sliding her arm around his waist and tucking her hand into the waistband of his slacks.

Eyes closed, she didn't see the looks he exchanged with the crew and other passengers. There were several Marines and two sailors on their way to Pearl. All very young. All grinning at his luck, obviously curious. He just smiled; he was sure they recognised his jacket's shoulder patch, knew he was a SEAL. Never hurt to make the other services a wee bit jealous.

The tiny redhead yawned and stretched, the change in engine noise and tilt of the plane letting her know they were already landing. She rubbed her face on the warm chest beneath her cheek and inhaled Shane. He always smelled good. Soap and man.

Catching his head, she pulled him down and kissed him, practically rolling onto his lap. It pressed her front tight to him and she sensed he was becoming aroused. She leaned back a little and glanced down. Yup, he was definitely responding.

She tilted her face up to his and grinned impishly. A sparkle in her eye, she lifted a brow and widened her eyes. She shifted her eyes as if to look over her shoulder and her grin widened. His face showed confusion and he licked his lips, not sure what she was up to.

She stretched up to put her lips by his ear. "They're watching, aren't they?" It was plain who she referred to. He barely nodded. "Are we deplaning, too, or could we get in a quickie? I've missed you, lover."

She laughed when he looked horrified. "I've never had sex in one of these," she giggled. He looked even more shocked if possible. When he opened his mouth to protest, she lay her forefinger on his lips. "You know X wouldn't mind. Knowing it was you."

He just blushed and her tinkling laughter filled the space. She rolled back into her seat and pushed at her mussed hair. "Oh, Shane, sweetie. You really haven't changed a bit, have you?"

They did deplane, running across the tarmac to a smaller aircraft, a C-130J. They barely made it, scrambling aboard, the co-pilot grabbing her bag after waving at them to hurry. They had actually waited for them, knowing there was no other flight. But the pilot was getting anxious; didn't want to get behind schedule.

Once they were seated and strapped in, they immediately taxied down the runway and headed into the blue. Red sighed to herself. It had to be the shortest time ever spent on the island. She'd gotten maybe two good breaths of Hawaiian air and they were gone... on to the next leg of their journey. She was glad now she'd decided on juice for breakfast and not coffee.

At least in this smaller plane, they had real seats. She wondered idly why it was going to Guam and what it was transporting. Surely not just them. There were no other passengers.

She twisted around in the seat, trying to get comfortable. The quick dash from one taxiway to another wasn't really long enough to allow her stiffened muscles to limber up. She had a cramp in the right side of her lower back.

Red sighed, leaning forward over her knees, stretching as best she could. She rubbed at the sore spot, nearly jumping out of her seat when a large, warm hand covered hers. Shane smiled and continued to massage her back, digging his strong, but gentle fingers into the tight muscle.

"Oh, that hurts so goood!" She moaned in bliss. He chuckled, and kept rubbing. When his hand strayed lower, his fingers brushing the curve of her ass, she only smiled and let out a little "mmm."

She actually arched her back, pressing up and into his caress.

She sat back up, pinning his hand behind her and blew him a kiss. His brows rose and he gave her a surprised, almost shy grin when she wriggled, rubbing her ass against his palm. "Nice, Shane. I have missed you, you know."

"You're gonna put my hand to sleep. C'mon, Red. Let me go." He whispered, glancing forward.

Red made a face and a show of sighing. "Okay, but only 'til I get you alone." She leaned closer. "Then I'm gonna jump your bones, boy. No more teasing." And she reached into his lap, pinching his inner thigh and making him jump.

"Hey!" The big man yelped. He looked away from her, out the window when the copilot glanced back. Red just smiled innocently and gave him a little wave.

His eyes went from her to the SEAL and he shrugged. Didn't have a clue why they needed to be at the naval base, but he had orders to have a car waiting for them when they touched down at Anderson. A single SEAL and a civilian female? He was curious. He wasn't going to ask, though.

Red shared her granola bars with her companion and they both drank some bottled water. Then they napped some more; there really wasn't anything else to do except stare out the window at miles of blue. Blue sky over blue water, hours and hours of it.

Shane did do some isometrics in his seat, just to keep his circulation going. He hated these long flights. Stiffened him up and he didn't want to appear less than ready to go when they hit the runway. Made his shoulder ache, too. He would bet Red was going to be aching by the time they landed, too. They'd been shot in almost the same place.

Thinking she'd appreciate a real massage, his mind wandered into a whole other sphere. He sighed, he really shouldn't be having these thoughts, but damn! She did like to tease and he kept falling for it. And he had a feeling she had been completely serious about sleeping with him.

Red scrooched around, trying to get comfortable and some circulation back into her numb butt. She smiled to herself, how to get Shane to massage that? She was surprised, but pleased by his quick feel. And he had definitely kissed back each time she had lip-locked him. Just maybe she could have them both again. If she played it right.


	2. Chapter 5

X had spent the last few days fretting and impatiently waiting for his help to arrive. Red texted him from Guam to let him know they had just landed. _We?_ He mused,_She must have convinced Shane to come. *snicker* Oh she'll get him to come, all right. _He shook his head,_bad thoughts, Cage. Concentrate._ But he was grinning by the time they hung up.

He even felt up to taking a board out to the reef. She'd be here tomorrow. They were staying overnight at the naval base and would pick up a flight to American Samoa in the morning. He'd told her who to contact when she got there. He had already set up a charter flight for them.

And now he could relax for a little. He had done all he could unofficially. Short of going to the island authorities and turning this into a real circus, there was nothing to do now but wait.

He had the entire surf community out looking for any sign of Bobby and, what was her name? Something fluff... Tiffany, Brandy... whatever. Some Congressman's spoiled brat. Not even a real surfer; he still speculated about where his friend had met her.

Xander wondered if whoever had taken the couple even knew who they held. And he hoped they were still alive... not shark bait somewhere. The local pirates were nothing to fool with. They had killed people in the past.

He wished there was some unobtrusive way to contact the girl's father. See if there was a ransom demand. But, it might be too soon and he didn't want to panic the parents. If the father called in the authorities it would spell death for the kids for sure.

X collected his gear and walked down to the beach. He was planning on swimming across the lagoon to the break; wouldn't take long and it would warm him up. He met several others with the same plan and they chatted as they paddled.

One of the native guys, called himself Arenui, (big wave), mentioned his cousin was late returning from a surf run. He had a big boat that was used to chase the large ocean waves. Piquing X's interest, he paddled closer. "You know who he took out? Locals or tourists?"

Arenui snorted and laughed. "He's a pro, man. He don't deal with tourists. Only serious brahs, sometimes their bettys." The islander shrugged, unconcerned. "They probably just chasing a zero break."

X thought about it through his first set and then went looking for Arenui. "I don't wanna rain on your parade, man, but are you sure about your cuz? Any way to get in touch with the boat?"

"Sure, sure. When we hit the beach, okay?" Even though he was known to the locals, X didn't want to push. He was still an outsider and he knew, while friendly, the locals were pretty clannish. He wasn't sure how they'd feel about him sticking his nose in what they might consider their business. So he just nodded and gave a thumb's up.

They were all pretty stoked a couple of hours later. Exhausted, but happy, going over the rips and the wipeouts with equal pleasure. Feeling cheerful, the big American invited everybody back to his hotel for grub and booze. A dozen or so of the group took him up on it, including Arenui.

They were suitably impressed when he crawled out of the ocean and onto the porch of one of the presidential villas of Hotel Hilton Nui.

It was finally broken up by the hotel staff around sunset. Apparently his neighbours didn't appreciate the noise and local riffraff carousing drunkenly in their vicinity. X and Are, now best buds, (the alcohol helped), shipped the others off to their respective cribs to sleep off the meal and liquor. X promising to join them again soonest.

He gave Arenui his cell number and made sure the younger man remembered to check on his cousin and call X whether he heard anything or not. Wandering back inside his now trashed suite, he called for housekeeping. He had to shower and dress; Red and Shane would be arriving within the hour.


	3. Chapter 6

Staff arrived while he was still bathing. They were not pleased at the mess, but set to work. One of the women was making the king-sized bed when he exited the bathroom, drying himself. She turned, her mouth and eyes going round as he jerked the towel down and cursed. "Oh, shit!"

Now semi-covered, the big man grinned and shrugged. He strode to his suitcases and pulled out a pair of light slacks. The woman looked around, panicked. He was between her and the door. X calmly sat on the side of the bed and pulled his pants on... commando. He stood back up, slid into a pair of sandals and tossed her the wet towel.

Still grinning, he pulled on a muscle T and waltzed out into the main room. He heard the whoosh as she let out the breath she'd been holding. He chuckled, putting his keys, wallet and phone in his pockets and left. He had to catch a launch to the airstrip and pick up his paramour and friend.

The hotel guy on board wasn't happy to see him. He was getting ready to close down for the night, the last scheduled run to the main island done. But American money spoke volumes and he agreed to take the big man to the farther atoll and bring him and his friends back.

The launch was just pulling in to the jetty as the small prop hit the runway and skidded to the far end, burning rubber all the way. It turned and taxied back to the cross road coming toward the terminal buildings.

Only six people deplaned. Besides Shane and Red, a minister and his wife, the pilot and copilot alit on the warm concrete and walked the short distance to baggage. Since Shane and Red hadn't checked any, it was a quick trip for them through arrivals. Their military and government IDs helped, too.

Red saw her companion's twin dancing impatiently at the other end of the hall and dropped her bags in the middle of the floor. She bolted down the passage, squealing in delight and literally leapt into his arms. He was just as happy to see her, lifting her high and swinging her around before crushing her to him and practically swallowing her face.

Shane collected her abandoned luggage and followed at a more sedate pace. He was grinning like a schoolboy while watching them. As soon as X caught sight of him he put Red down and shocked the SEAL by nearly crushing him in a bear hug. And just for the hell of it, he kissed him, too. On the cheek, though.

Shane blustered through an embarrassed 'it's okay' when Xander effusively thanked him for coming. He was glad his woman had someone to watch over her. "Oh, like I can't take care of myself?" She cheerfully bitched, punching him in the gut. Shane smirked when he oofed; she had caught X off-guard. They all laughed and he led them out to the launch.

The boatman did a double take and quit bitching when the big guy returned with his passengers. One wasn't bad enough, now there were two of him? And what was with the redhead? Seemed like she couldn't make up her mind which one she wanted to jump. She kept kissing and hugging both of them. Maybe she was sleeping with both; he'd seen stranger things.

He piloted the craft carefully across the now dark lagoon. Tropic night descended in a hurry. He knew his way, but didn't want to hit a reef in the midnight blue water. Twinkling lights announced their nearing the resort on the next motu.

Red oohed and ahhed appropriately as she wandered through the two-story villa. Shane just followed, his mouth hanging open in shock. This was way past his pay grade. He dumped his duffel in the bedroom that obviously wasn't Xander's... no surf boards in here. But the bed was still huge and the bath luxurious.

He decided to unpack and relax for a few; wandering out onto the deck and dropping into a chaise. He could hear the couple greeting each other and it sounded like it was getting pretty intense already. He sighed, hoping this could be wrapped up soon. It was going to be torture if he had to listen to them every night.

Shane must have been more tired than he thought; he dozed off watching the stars reflect on the bath warm calm bay. He jolted awake when someone whispered in his ear, and slid onto his lap in the same instant. "Wanna come for a swim with me, big boy?"

Automatically curving his arms around her, he froze when his hands touched only skin. She was naked. She giggled when she felt him stiffen under her. He was hard everywhere. "C'mon, Shane. The water's beautiful. Red deliberately squirmed on his lap, leaning in and nibbling on his ear and throat.

He gulped and whispered back, "Where's X?" Just as a large shadow sailed past and they heard a loud splash to their left.

"I'd say he's ahead of us. C'mon." She slid off him and pulled him toward the water.

"Wait a minute. Wait, Red. I gotta get a suit."

"No. Just strip. And hurry up." She bounced in front of him, tormenting him further.

"Oh, my God! Woman, please! Don't **do **that!" He moaned, yanking clothes off as fast as he could. He was hopping on one foot, trying to get his uniform pants off and had forgotten to take off his boots first.

Red laughed and pushed him onto a lounge. She knelt in front of him and unlaced one boot while he did the other. The instant he got them off, she pulled his slacks by the cuffs and stripped them down.

"The shorts, too." She hissed. To encourage him, she stood, pulling his face into her, which rubbed her muff against his chin. Then she turned with a chuckle and stepped away, bent over and stretched, peeking at him from between her knees. Shane just moaned and leapt up after her.

She beat him to the water, but just barely. Their splashes were almost simultaneous. They headed toward a faint splashing, only starlight to help them find X. He was floating on his back, just relaxing in the calm, warm water.

He rolled over and grabbed Red, kissing her just as Shane reached her from the back. He tread water, not sure of what to do. X kicked once, pushing them into Shane, Red's bare buttocks pressing into the SEAL's lower belly.

Shane gasped, his arms coming forward and hitting X's shoulders. X released her mouth long enough to chuckle. He whispered at his friend, "Well, if you really would rather have me, I guess she'll wait, but I thought you'd want to play with what's between us, man."

Shane gurgled in shock, trying to back away, but Red swept her arms back and grabbed him by the waist, pulling him back tight against her. "No, Shane, stay. You feel so good." He just groaned, trying to keep afloat without kicking either of them.

Red wasn't really trying, allowing the men to keep her head above water. She let her head fall back onto Shane's shoulder, her long hair tickling his upper arms and chest. She spread her legs wider and X pressed himself closer. He kissed up her throat and back down to the tops of her breasts.

Shane had his hands wrapped around her ribs now, holding her. "Touch me, Shane. Please." She murmured, putting her hands over his and moving them to cup her breasts.

"Oh, God." He moaned quietly into her ear. X reached between her spread thighs and caressed her womanhood, making her sigh and wriggle against the SEAL. Unfortunately, it also caused all of them to sink below the surface and they parted to rise back up spluttering and laughing.

"This isn't gonna work." X complained. "The water's too deep. Let's go back inside." They climbed out just as lights in the villa next door came on. Giggling, hand-in-hand, they dashed inside.

Red could see Shane was blushing, embarrassed by nearly being caught by the neighbours. It hadn't put him down, though. Both her men were at attention. She grinned and stroked them both. "Oh, yes!"

She turned to the SEAL and jumped up into his arms, wrapping her legs around his hips. "I told you, first chance I got." She crooned in his ear, as he looked a question at X.

He just grinned and waved them toward his bedroom. "Go ahead, man. I'm gonna get a beer. I'll be there soon." He disappeared into the kitchenette.

Shane carried her in and lay her down, tumbling on top of her when she refused to let go of his neck. Red kissed him hungrily, 'mmming' in her throat, like a cat purring. Her hands stroked and tickled over his head, neck, shoulders, sides; constantly moving as if she couldn't get enough of touching him.

She wriggled against him and threw her legs up over his waist. "Take me, Shane. I want to feel you in me. Now!" He took one more glance at the door. Red positively growled at him. "Now!"  
>He looked back at her, grinned and followed orders.<p>

X, listening to the sounds of rising passion, decided a little music might be a good idea. He walked into the main room and turned on the entertainment center. He grinned; he loved to hear his woman enjoying herself. And he knew Shane was strong enough to do her right.

She had wailed in delight several times by the time he heard the big man's gasp and long moan. He stood, leaning against the doorframe and watched the SEAL's back arch, his body trembling as he unloaded a good one. Must have been; he immediately collapsed onto her and it took him a few minutes to regain enough strength to even roll off.

His chest heaved as he tried to suck in oxygen, drawing the heavy, moist tropic air in through his open mouth. X strolled over and snickered. "Did you in, didn't she?" He laughed.

Shane's eyes opened, but his stare was completely blank. "Wha...?" X laughed more.

"Here. Have a drink." He handed a bottled water to Shane, reaching across Red to do it. She was already out cold. "Long trip, huh?"

Seeing their tiny partner sound asleep, a beatific smile on her face, Shane's face screwed up. "Oh, shit, man! I'm sorry."

"What for?" X smiled. "She's been waiting for that for a while. We got all night... and tomorrow."  
>When Shane made a move to rise, he shook his head. "Relax, dude. Just move over a bit. There's plenty of room."<p>

With Shane pulling and X pushing, they gently shifted the sleeping redhead into the center of the bed. X dropped the mosquito netting and settled by her other side. "Nighty-night, Shane. Sweet dreams." He crooned and chuckled again.


	4. Chapter 7

Morning sunlight was filtering through the gauzy curtains when the lovers began to stir. Red sighed sleepily and looked left and then right. She grinned, pleased that both her men had stayed. The hiss of her hair sliding across the pillow was enough to cause Shane to crack an eyelid, but X never stirred, his face buried in his pillow.

She rolled to face her sailor and kissed him. "Mornin', Sweetie. Sleep well?"

He slid a hand down her side to rest on her hip. "Like a rock," he smiled back.

"Good. Not tense anymore?" She purred, stretching under his caress. Her hand slid down his chest and six-pack to play in the curls just above his morning wood.

"Oh my God! Again?" he gasped.

"Well, you do seem to be up for it, lover," she whispered, nuzzling his throat, tickling his neck and ear with quick flicks of her warm, moist tongue. He got harder, groaning as she began to stroke him.

She rolled further, pushing him onto his back and slid on top of him and him into her at the same time. Her eyes closed in bliss, a wide smile crossing her face. "Oh, yes... this is so nice." She breathed. She was moving her hips in circles on him, gently grinding against his pelvis.

Shane held her hips and just stared up at her. She opened her eyes and looked down, a question in her bright green eyes. "You look like an angel. All you need is wings." He whispered. The expression on his face said he wasn't sure this was real, but he was definitely enjoying it.

"Mmm. Angelfood cake. Just what I wanted for breakfast." The deep pillow muffled growl made them both turn to the far side of the bed. X yawned, rolled over and stretched. Before Shane could say anything, he leaned over and grabbed her nipple, sucking hard and pulling back until it popped back out of his mouth with an audible, wet slurp.

Red squeaked and shivered, her muscles clenching around Shane and making him moan. X grinned, sliding closer. He did it again, turning quickly to see the SEAL's reaction. He knew suckling her made her clamp down on the other man. Shane's eyes widened again and he gasped.

X chuckled, grinning like a fiend, when Shane gave him a questioning little frown. "Just wait, bro." He snickered. He glanced up at Red's face. "Lean back a bit, Sweetness." She smiled even wider, knowing what he planned.

She reached behind herself, sliding her hands down Shane's hard thighs to just above his knees. It pointed her full breasts at the ceiling and she dropped her head back, stretching her neck. Her long hair tickled his legs.

X leaned down, resting his head on the SEAL's lower belly and buried his face against her vulva. She moaned and wriggled when his hot tongue poked at and flicked over her clitoris. "Oh, shit!"  
>Shane groaned.<p>

She was beginning to rock on him now, pulsing inside and squeezing him unmercifully. It was making him crazy. "I'm gonna go. I can't take much of this." He groaned. They didn't stop, Red simply moving her hands to her breasts and playing with her own nipples. If anything, that made it worse for him.

"Oh, my God! Omigod! Oh, shit! Fuck! Ahhhh!" He bucked, vibrating under her. She arched and squealed, pressing herself down even as he came in her. She moaned and sighed, slumping forward to lie on his chest, X sitting back up out of her way.

He only gave them a couple of minutes to catch their breaths and he started again. Now from behind Red, licking and nipping her cheeks. He licked her dark rose, making her squirm, but he had a hand on her back, holding her folded on Shane.

X pressed his thick forefinger into her ass, stroking in and out and wiggling it sideways. Red shivered and moaned. "Ah, gods, X. Yes, more!" His thumb slid through her folds around Shane and he pressed it against her little button. She clenched again, automatically.

Shane hissed and shuddered. He could feel X moving in her and it was as if he was being stroked, too. He felt himself growing hard, again. "Damn, X!" Red captured his mouth, her tongue sliding between his lips and fluttering over his.

Still kissing Shane, Red spoke commandingly. "Do it, X! Take me!" It came out muffled, but he understood and leaped up. Positioning himself behind her, he stroked the tip of his cock through her folds to wet himself. "Mmmm!" She moaned and wiggled her ass.

Shane had figured out what was happening and now he held the little redhead firmly around the ribs. He remembered the last time they'd done this. She couldn't stay still and he didn't want her jumping off him by accident.

X pressed himself in, sighing as the head of his engorged cock popped past the tight ring of muscle and she eeped with a shiver. He was looking right at Shane and watched the other man's eyes go wide and he inhaled fast.

He grinned down and got an answering smile, Shane exhaling hard now when he pushed the rest of the way in. "Damn, that feels good!" X groaned. "Oh, yeah!" Shane agreed. Red was beyond speech, simply giving a quavering moan of ecstasy.

She flailed and writhed, crying out as they repeatedly drove her to orgasm. Both men held on to her, keeping her sandwiched tight between them. X finally leaned over her shoulder and gasped, "I'm gonna come!"

Shane grinned at him, "Go for it!"

He arched a bit and held himself stiff. It lifted Red up to exactly the right angle for X to get just that tiny bit deeper. They peaked together and the woman screamed as both men pulsed their hot fluids into her.

Everybody collapsed, gasping for air, Red sobbing in reaction. Shane rolled and stroked her shoulder. "You ok?" She was still speechless. X, between gasps, answered. "She's... fine. It happens... sometimes. When it's... really... good for her." She nodded her head, agreeing and hugged them both.

They snuggled down, each one drifting to sleep as they got their air back. Seemed like a great start to a beautiful day.


	5. Chapter 8

The sun was high before any of the lovers stirred. Not surprisingly, Shane was the first to wake. The heat and brightness of the tropic sun striking him right in the face finally brought him out of his sex-induced coma.

He snuck silently out of bed and took himself a long, relaxing piss and a quick shower. He sighed and tip-toed back into the bedroom. He had to cross it to get to the deck where his clothes were still flung about. He peeked through the curtains, trying to see if there were any other people about.

He heard splashing but didn't see anyone. Deciding to risk it, he crept onto the deck; half bent over and started to pick up his things. "Hey, X! That was some bash you threw yesterday. Sounded like somebody getting murdered last night. Everything okay?"

Shane whirled, clothes pressed to his groin, to see who'd spoken. Another young couple in the water. They were grinning up at him, when the woman suddenly frowned. "That's not X. Who are you... his brother?"

Her companion, in whose arms she was floating, said, "Sure it is... I'd recognise that face anywhere."

"No, he's not." She insisted. "No tattoos. X has tattoos... just... all over!"

"Damn, you're right. Hey, bro! You X's brother... or more like... twin?" They seemed to completely ignore the fact that he was half crouched there nude.

"Yeah. He's my evil twin." X's cheerful bass rumble sounded behind Shane. He was just as naked, but flaunting it. "C'mon in, bro. Le's go get some chow. I'm starvin'."

The girl's eyes bugged and she sighed. Her boyfriend? husband? whatever, dunked her and they went back to laughing and splashing. Like this wasn't unusual. Shane just glared at X as he hurried back inside. "Evil twin, huh?"

Xander laughed. "Well, you are the government man... well, a lot more than me, anyway. You **wanted** the job." He threw on board shorts and a muscle T and looked around for his sandals. "Red's still sleeping. We can bring her back something, but I gotta eat." His stomach growled just then, for emphasis.

Shane snorted, about to make a comment, when his tummy grumbled, too. They looked at each other, grinning, and both chuckled at the same moment. X lifted his brows and did the "Twilight Zone" theme. "You're really gonna freak me out if you keep doing that."

There was a moan from the bedroom. "Coffffeeeee! ...and fruit. By the way...I love it when you do the same things at the same time."

The men smiled and answered, "Yes, ma'am!" chorusing like children. Laughing, they trotted down the long pier to the main hotel and breakfast. So alike people's heads' turned as they passed. Shane's regulation, white V-neck and khakis did nothing to hide the fact that he was built just as powerfully as his more colourfully dressed companion. And they both were wearing similar looking aviator shades.

Red had showered and dressed by the time they returned. She was stretched out on one of the chaises on the deck, her hair fanned out to dry in the sun and slight breeze. There was a pareo in a bright turquoise, green and gold print lying beside her that matched the barely there suit she wore.

It was one piece, but minimal coverage to say the least. A high cut bottom that veed down in front, the sides sweeping up and crossing just under her breasts to tie behind the neck. It was the same emerald green as the skirt and trimmed in gold, with a large ring-shaped buckle holding the two pieces of the front together where they crossed.

Both men stood there, gaping. She looked even sexier than when completely nude. She pulled her dark glasses down on her nose and barked cheerfully, "What? Did you forget my coffee?"

Shane gulped and held it out, speechless. X's response was more vocal. "Dayum, woman!" He held a covered plate with sliced fresh fruits.

"So. What's the plan for today, lover?" Red sat up and took her coffee from Shane while blowing him a kiss. Obviously, she'd already blown his mind. She reached for the dish X had set on the little table between the lounges. He sat at her knees lifting her legs into his lap. Shane dropped onto the second chaise, facing the couple.

Eating with her fingers, Red chose between pieces of pineapple, papaya, grapefruit and coconut. Tree-ripe and sweet, the fruit was so juicy she kept making little slurping noises. "Oh my God!  
>This is heaven!" Juice ran down her chin and her hands; she kept trying to lick it off. She was going to need another shower, she was getting so sticky.<p>

"I'll have to take you 'round the other side of the island for dinner," X laughed. There's a place there does this fish dish with avocado and pineapple that's amazing." He sobered a bit, then. "But, first I gotta find Arenui. See if he's heard from his cousin." When both Shane and Red looked inquiringly to him, he explained.

"Native guy I met surfing. His cousin has a surf boat... takes out the brahs and chases the big waves. He's late coming back from his last run." He shrugged. "It's the kinda thing Bobby woulda done. "'Specially if he was tryin' to impress a wahine."

After Red finished and rinsed off her hands and face; she refused to let the boys help, (they wanted to lick her clean), they all walked to the front of the hotel. She had just laughed and told them to save that thought for later.

After taking the hotel launch to the main island, X rented them a 4x4 and they took off for one of the native villages.

Arenui was working for a change, his wife said. One of the resorts he supplied called and he had taken his boat out. Fishing. He should be back soon, if they wished to wait. "Come in and have a cool drink." She smiled at them.

There were questions in her eyes as she glanced from the tiny howlie vahine to the big men on each side of her. They were alike, but different. She was too polite to ask. Are might know more. She knew he had become friendly with the one who looked like a surf bum; the tattooed one.

X grinned at her. "Thanks, uh... Mohea, isn't it? I'm gonna just show my friends the village? if it's okay?" He leaned in and whispered, "Tourists, you know?" And winked. "Okay if I leave the truck here?" He'd moved in close and wrapped one arm around Mohea's shoulders.

_Ooh, this one is a charmer_, she thought. She smiled up at him. "Certainment, cherie. Just make sure the lady does not overheat. She is very pale." She patted his firm, well-muscled chest.

She looked at the little red-haired woman again. Who only raised one eye-brow and smiled smugly, her chin rising slightly. _So this one belongs to her. I thought it was the shy one._

As the trio wandered down the dirt track, Mohea continued to watch them. That was as fine a pair of men as she had seen in a while. When Red stumbled on a loose pebble and both of them grabbed her, Mohea's mouth dropped open and her brows shot up. _Both of them? Oh, lucky woman!_

It was less than an hour later when Arenui peddled up to his house. Mohea let him know his friend had come calling and was wandering around the village. A few minutes later he saw them come around a corner on their way back and hailed them. "Yo! X!" He waved and they turned up his street.

He shook his head unhappily. No his cousin had not returned. He was really worried. It was four days now and he usually only stayed out overnight. He had contacted the island authorities and they were looking into it.

He'd made some inquiries on his own, too. One of the retired fishermen, who hung by the docks and did odd jobs had seen Bobby and a blonde girl go out with Vetea, (his cousin). Part of a group of six, all surfers, he said. They had loaded drinks, food and a dozen boards early in the morning.

The old man said they were headed toward Manuae or maybe Maupihaa. X nodded. "Yeah, I heard. Big waves from the storm off New Guinea." He sighed. "I was gonna head for Tupai myself."

Are shook his head. "No good, man. Pirates been busy up there. I'm afraid they may have been hijacked. We need to figure out who was on that boat. If anybody is worth holding for ransom."

Shane frowned. "These 'pirates'. They run drugs, too, don't they?" Are looked at him and back to Xander.

"He's cool. Do they?"

Are gusted out a unhappy breath. "Yeah, that's what I heard. And guns."

"Fuck! This is so not good." X scrubbed his hand over the top of his head.

Shane asked, "Anybody got a satellite phone on this rock? One that can take an encrypted call?" Both X and Are stared at him like he'd just turned green or sprouted horns. "I could call Guam. Speak to the commander. See what they've heard."

Are frowned and turned to X. "Who is this guy, brah? He surely ain't no surfer."

"No, but he is a good friend. Straight up. And he's got connections."

"You talk like he's no relation? A friend?"

"X and I aren't related." Shane started, but X cut him off.

"Shane's a SEAL. We don't like to advertise. Gets sticky." He shrugged, lifting and spreading his hands placatingly. "You know how people get."

"Aha." Arenui looked back at Shane, appraising him again. "Yeah, now that you mention, he does seem too straight arrow. I wondered." He cocked his head, "But if you say he's okay..."

"Just keep it close, for now, though? Right?" X worried. He knew how chatty the islanders could be. Are just nodded.

"Right, brah. Your funeral. As for the phone, not that I know of. Might have to go to Papeete for that."

Mohea came in then with glasses of fruit juice. "How about the hospital, Are?"

"Damn! You're right! They must have one... for emergencies." He frowned. "Don't know if they'd let you use it though."

Red spoke for the first time. "I think we might be able to convince them. Is it far from here?"

"It's down in Vaitape."

"Excellent! We can make Cocotier for lunch." X clapped Are on the shoulder. "I'll let you know what happens." He bounced back into the driver's seat of the 4x4. "C'mon, troops!"


	6. Chapter 9

Lunch was excellent. Everyone tried a different dish and they shared them all, tasting each other's plates. Red started with a coconut shrimp curry. Shane did sashimi and X had the native fish steamed in coconut milk, pineapple and spices.

After lunch they drove inland a bit to find the hospital. Walking in to the front desk, X and Shane like bookends for Red, the trio looked around for someone in charge. A pretty islander in nursing white looked up from the desk, where she was reading a romance novel and asked them in French, "Comment puis-je vous aider? How may I help you?"

X and Shane looked blank for a moment. Realizing they were American tourists, she opened her mouth to repeat herself.

Red stepped forward, smiling and replied in perfect French, "J'ai besoin de parler à l'administrateur, s'il vous plaît. I need to speak to the administrator, please." She leaned on the desk. "Parlez-vous anglais? Mes amis ne parlent pas français. Do you speak English? My friends don't speak French." She whispered it and winked, telling the nurse she was trying to preserve the big men's dignity.

"Bien sûr, Ma'amselle. Of course, Miss." She grinned back and gave both men an obvious and appreciative once over. "But which one needs le doctor? They certainly do not look sick?"

"Oh, they are not. But it is important we speak to whomever is in charge. We need to use your communications equipment... lives may be in danger. And time is flying." She raised her brows, giving the nurse a significant look.

"I see. I shall see if he is in his office. Please, wait here." She rose from her seat and vanished down the hall and through a door toward the back.

"Nice, Sweetness." X cuddled her, kissing the side of her head. "I didn't know you spoke French."

"And Italian, Farsi, Russian and I understand enough Swahili to survive." She calmly stated.

"Damn! Even more talented than I thought." He growled in her ear, "Next time we're in bed, will you talk to me in French? So sexy." She swatted him, playfully and Shane chuckled.

The nurse returned and asked them to follow her back to the admin's office. She tapped at the ajar door and announced them to Dr. Benoit. His name was French but he looked pure Polynesian. He rose from behind his desk when he saw Red and definitely was pleased by what he saw from the wide smile on his brown face and the sparkle in his black eyes.

X and Shane of course noticed, so they decided to let her take the lead. She extended her hand and gave the doctor a thousand watt smile, nearly blinding the poor man. He took her hand and bowed over it, brushing his lips across the back in a very European kiss.

"Bonjour, demoseille! In what small way may I assist you?" He glanced at the men and added, "And your... friends?"

"Merci de prendre le temps de nous voir, le docteur. Je suis sûr que vous devez être très occupé. Thank you for taking the time to see us, Doctor. I'm sure you must be very busy." She blinded him again.

"Non, non!" He protested. "I always have time for a beautiful woman."

Red just giggled. "Why thank you for the compliment, Doctor. You took your training in France, didn't you?"

He grinned, positively delighted. "Yes, I did. How did you know?"

She laughed. "I would say you learned much more in medical school than doctoring."

He nodded. "You are perceptive as well as beautiful, my dear. Please, all of you, sit. Tell me what it is you need." And he returned to his chair.

Red launched into an explanation of why they needed the hospital's emergency radio. Shane could use it to contact the naval base on Guam if it was powerful enough or at least get a message through if it had to be relayed. She made sure to make him aware that he would be helping to avoid an international incident and possibly assisting to stop the kidnappings of travelers by the pirates.

The doctor frowned at first when he learned the big man was a US soldier. He wasn't sure how his government would react to his not contacting the island authorities before allowing this. But the woman was very convincing, explaining that the longer they waited, the less likely of finding the captives... and she reminded him that several were natives, namely the boat's captain and crew.

He finally agreed with a sigh. He wasn't happy, but clearly understood the implications. "Come this way. I will show you the radio. If any emergency calls come in, they must take priority, you understand."

"But, of course. Do you need to have your operator stay? I would prefer privacy; the bandwidth is not public... " she was trying to make it as easy as possible for him.

"No, no. He can wait just outside. As long as you call him immediately if he is needed." He glanced over, when Shane sighed in relief. "You are US Navy, sir?"

"Yes." Shane nodded. He reached into his hip pocket and pulled out his ID.

"And your call; it will bring ships into our waters?"

"Not what I intended to ask." The SEAL answered. "I'm hoping I can get an AWAC into the air. That would be much faster and they can cover a greater area, too."

"A spy plane?" The doctor's eyes widened. "Who are you?"

"A reconnaissance aircraft, yes. They have radar and cameras that could pick up small boats from a great height. Don't worry, Doctor. They fly over all the time. You'll never even know they were here." Shane's reassurance didn't seem to please the man much. He also hadn't told the doctor anything more about himself.

X sighed. _Crap, Shane! Why'd you have to go and say that? It's not helping. _"Doctor, the boat we think is missing was carrying a group of surfers. These people come from all over the world to your beautiful island. They provide a great resource for a lot of your local businesses. If it becomes known this area is no longer safe, they'll stop coming. And they are a rather vocal group. Tourism might start to suffer, too." He shot Shane a look that clearly said "Shut up!"

"Oh, and if Shane is not successful, I will need to make a second call? If that is alright?" Red asked carefully. "We really must get help here as quickly as possible. You know as well as I, Doctor... if our friends have been kidnapped, these pirates tend to kill their captives."

Leading them into a small room beside the ER, the doctor spoke to the man at the radio console in rapid Tahitian. He nodded and left. Shane immediately took his seat and began to fiddle with the dials.

Shane managed to get through to the command center and after a bit of arguing was able to speak to the commander and identified himself. He told him if he needed corroboration to call  
>Commander Harris at Coronado and tell him that Lt. Shane Wolf of SEAL team 1 was requesting assistance. Since he had used the proper codes, the commander said it wouldn't be necessary.<p>

Shane sighed, relaxing a bit and outlined the problem and made his request. He was more than pleased to hear the commander tell him he had called just in time. Not only was there a plane scheduled to take off within the hour, but the geosat would be passing over their area shortly.

The commander would be happy to pass his message to Coronado and see if he could get a peek at the pictures it would be taking. See if there was anything unusual in the area.

Red whispered at Shane to ask what the commander's security clearance level was. Shane looked up, his brows rising in question. "Just ask him, love. If I can get patched through to my boss, it will be easier than starting all over again."

Shane sighed and relayed her request. The commander sounded a bit miffed when he replied. "What have you gotten involved in, Wolf? I'm secret, except for special ops. Then top secret if it's warranted. Why?"

"I have someone here who needs to be patched through to their chief, Admiral." He looked up at Red who was frowning and shaking her head no. "I'm afraid your clearance isn't good enough."

"I'll need someone who's got... "

Red leaned over his shoulder and spoke into the mike. "Top secret, with SCI, Admiral. I need to be put through to Langley."

They could hear the admiral sputter right through the radio. "CIA? Jesus! What the hell's going on down there?"

"You know I can't say anything. Do you have anyone there or not?" She snapped. "Oh, and you can look me up, if you need to... I'm Michael." X looked at her weirdly, his brows quirked in confusion.

"I'll do that, miss. Be right back." There was a blank hiss for no more than a couple of minutes when the admiral came back on. "Wolf, you there?" He sounded stunned.

"Yes, sir."

"You **are** aware of who you're dealing with, Lieutenant?"

"We've worked together before, Admiral." Shane spoke quietly.

"I see. Well you be careful, son. I'm switching you to our confidential man now. Tell the young lady Toomey's good and he's the best we've got."

Red leaned over Shane again. "Thank you, Admiral. And thank you for making this easy. It **is** appreciated and will be noted." She kissed Shane's ear as she stood back up. She winked when he looked up, grinning. She knew how to soothe ruffled feathers better than most.

She and Toomey went through the usual CIA garbledygook of code words and phrases of the day and was finally put through to her handler. She told him what they had learned and asked if he had heard anything about missing Americans... specifically wealthy or governmentally connected people.

No one was pleased with his answer. "Damn, how did you hear about this? We are on a safe channel, aren't we?"

"As safe as a relayed channel can be, Host. What do I need to know?" Red was all pro now.

"Shit, that's not good enough. Need to get you a satellite phone. Hmm." They could practically hear him thinking. "Well, I can tell you it's family and the cost is high. We're working on the currency exchange. So far, the rate is acceptable. But that may change unexpectedly. The market is unstable right now. Are you able to play if the game changes?"

She nodded, "I understand, Host. I'm in a good place to negotiate, if needed. How soon can I expect that phone?"

"Tomorrow at the latest. Stay relaxed 'til then. I'll contact you." And that was it, the hiss of a empty channel coming through. He didn't even let the Navy man end the call. Shane looked at her, she was frowning, one fingernail in her mouth. Obviously thinking hard, she did that when things were not good.

"Red?"

"Huh?" She glanced at him. Coming back from wherever her head had been, she sighed. "Not here. We need real privacy... and X is **not** going to like this." Her first man had wandered out front and was chatting happily, flirting with the nurse.

Red heard her giggle as she and Shane left the radio room and turned it back over to the hospital's radio man. She thanked him, too, in passing. He smiled; it was no problem, it had given him a chance to stretch and get a drink. She quirked a quick distracted smile.

Not checking to see where Shane was, she trotted down the hall, snapping, "X!" as she passed him and kept going out into the afternoon sun. He gave Shane a confused glance, but the SEAL only shrugged. He had no idea what she'd learned either.

Red jumped into the front of the 4x4, impatient to be away. They had no more time for fun and games. Vacation was over. She made a face at X to get him to hurry; he was ambling slowly out of the hospital still calling back silly nothings to the nurse.

Shane at least, was moving at a decent pace. She gusted out a breath, and finally hit the horn. X's head snapped around and she motioned him to 'come on!' He jogged up, still grinning. It quickly vanished when he saw the pissed look on her face.

He leaped into the driver seat. "What's up?" His brow wrinkled in concern.

"Not here." She snapped, "Drive." Xander's brows lifted, but he said nothing. He'd seen the little redhead like this before. It meant she was getting her head in mission space. Whoo, boy! Whatever was going on must be big.

Xander drove down the coast road that circled the island for a ways. He found a short spur that ran down to an empty beach and pulled onto it. Parking, he looked at his beautiful girlfriend. She simply got out of the vehicle and walked down to the beach, nodding for the men to follow.

She took X's hand when they caught up. "Love, I'm afraid the news isn't good. Your friend has probably been kidnapped. May not even still be alive. Are's cousin, too. Host told me there has been a ransom demand. A Congressman or Senator's relative... and since you said Bobby had met a girl; I think it's safe to assume a daughter." She slipped closer and gave him a hug.

"Play time is over, lover. I've just been activated. Might not be a bad idea for you contact Gibbons. As much as we both hate the man, he may be able to help. At least, make you an official part of the op. And tell him Shane's here and we need to keep him."

X looked down at her. "One question." She cocked a brow at him. "I figure 'Host' is your contact, but Michael? What kind of code name is that... for a girl?"

Shane snorted. "C'mon, X! Think... host as in heavenly, watching over you. Michael's an angel, right?" The light dawned, and Shane delivered the coup de grace. "Michael is God's chief archangel... the Angel of Death."

"Wow! Appropriate, but way too deep for me. Angel of Death, huh? Brrr." He shuddered as if he'd just gotten a chill.

"It's not important." She waved off his comment. "We need to figure out what we're doing. Find some way to locate these pirates."

"We should have pictures soon," Shane reminded her.

"And we have to come up with a way to get close to them."

Jokingly, Xander offered, "We could get kidnapped ourselves." His laugh faltered when both Red and Shane looked at him very thoughtfully. "No. You're not gonna make me...""

"Of course! It's perfect. The world-famous Xander Cage, extreme athlete, and **very **wealthy all-around bad boy. They won't be able to resist."

X's shoulders slumped. "Really?" Red just grinned at him.

"Besides, it means you get to whoop it up, party down, whatever your surf bum friends call it. Make some noise." She laughed and hugged him when his expression brightened a bit.

"You're coming with, right? My wild and crazy girlfriend?"

She looked him over with a seemingly critical eye. "Hmm... no, I think you'll be single for this. And you'll have your 'evil' twin along again." She smirked at Shane when he went to protest. "I **am **the only one who speaks French."

"You really need a couple of more tats, Shane." His eyes widened and he looked at X's sleeve.

"Oh, no! I'm not walking around for the rest of my life looking like that."

"Not permanent ones, silly. We'll ink you up and cover them with a clear finish. It'll last for a couple of weeks or so. Should be more than long enough." He sighed as she turned back to Xander. "I'm sure you know somebody local who has some talent?"

"No, but I can ask around. Bet Are knows somebody." She nodded.

"Excellent. Ok, then. Let's get this show on the road. First thing, I need my own place. Then we get Shane inked, and... what?" Two very unhappy faces stared back at her quizzical frown.

"Why, babe? I've missed you and...well, it is a beautiful spot to party, I wanna party with you," X whined. He whacked Shane in the shoulder. "C'mon, man! Help out, here!"

Shane quirked a wry little grin. "Well, as much as I love 'partying' with Red, she has a point, X. She does need to get a little distance so she can run the op. Safely and quietly." He scowled at his doppelganger. "Especially as she's gonna be the one rescuing us."

"Ah, fuck! You really know how to take the fun outta things." Xander glanced around. "Since we're gonna have to separate, whaddya say to one last go round?" Shane's eyes widened and Red just giggled.

"Xander Cage, you are incorrigible. And insatiable. I love you!" She whipped off the pareo and ran into the ocean. .

Shane gulped. "Here? Now?" X had already kicked off his sandals and was pulling his shirt off. "Sure, dude, why not?"

He tore off down the beach after the little redhead. Shane sighed, knelt and began unlacing his boots. These two were gonna kill him. Watching them splashing, he sighed. But what a way to go. Stripped to just his shorts, he headed for the warm waters and even warmer friends.


	7. Chapter 10

By the time Shane made it into the water, the others had already stripped, X's board shorts and Red's suit lying on the sand. They were wrapped around each other, floating in the surf. Xander was behind Red, and Shane felt himself growing hard as he watched her breasts bob on the water.

Her nipples were already standing, hard strawberry-pink peaks that called to him, begging to be suckled. He waded into the waves and fell to his knees in front of her. His hands automatically catching her waist, he leaned forward and took one into his mouth.

She gasped, the heat of his mouth exhilarating after the cool water and the way he rubbed his tongue over her areola making her moan in delight. She released Xander and wrapped her hands around the back of Shane's head, holding him to her.

Shane slid one hand down and pushed his fingers between her thighs. Xander cupped her breasts, holding her up tight against his chest. She was wriggling already, making those soft sounds of pleasure he loved. As she automatically spread her legs for Shane, X cocked his hips forward and slid into her from behind. Red squealed and arched back into him, shivering in reaction to his entering her in one swift, sharp push.

She clamped down over him and he knew he was going to come hard and fast. He didn't slow, pumping himself against her cheeks and felt the SEAL move faster, firmer against her, bringing her to a screaming climax as quickly as he could. It was just what Xander had needed and he yelled, "Oh my fucking God!" spasming in jerks, his chin coming down on her shoulder, curling himself over her and grunting with the force of his orgasm.

He took several deep breaths, just holding on and regaining his balance before pulling out. Red made a little unhappy noise and he chuckled. "Don't worry, sweetness, I think somebody's more than ready to take over. Right, Shane?" He grinned at his friend, who let a very red, swollen nipple pop loose as he leapt to his feet.

Shane grinned back and they spun the little redhead so now she faced Xander. He knelt down and sucked her other breast into his mouth, tonguing the peak just as Shane had. "Oh, yes! Please, Shane... take me. Take me now!" She pushed back against him almost knocking him down. He was trying to peel his wet shorts off.

The men reprised their roles and Red writhed and moaned, coming again with Shane following only a moment behind her. Then the three of them staggered out of the ocean and fell panting to the warm sand. She wrapped an arm around each man's neck and kissed them with a contented sigh.

They played for most of the afternoon, going for short swims in the warm lagoon in between sessions of love-making. Red finally fell asleep in Shane's arms in the warm sands. The guys had gotten a break in between, but she had not. Coming back from his last dip in the water, X looked down and chuckled.

"Damn! We finally wore her out. I was beginning to think it wasn't possible."

Shane snickered, with a wide smile. "Me, too. Worn out, I mean. Where the hell do you find the energy?"

X laughed. "Healthy lifestyle and plenty of exercise... if you know what I mean." He waggled his brows at Shane. "Hand her over, bro. Go cool off and you can drive back. Don't wanna miss the launch."

He leaned down as the SEAL sat up, and scooped her into his arms. Shane ran down the beach and dived in for a quick rinse. He came right back, pulling on his clothes while still wet. Xander had pulled Red's suit over her bottom but left the top loose. She just purred and snuggled into X's chest with a little sigh as he carried her back to their 4x4.

Shane tucked her pareo between him and X as he hopped into the driver's seat. They just made the launch in time. The pilot was untying as they ran up from dropping the truck back at the rental. Red was awake by now, but grumpy. She was hungry and thirsty. And sunburnt in uncomfortable places. The boys had given her quite a workout.

They would stay together tonight and in the morning, she would move to a hotel on the main island, leaving the guys on their own. After showering, they decided it was easiest to just have dinner in the hotel restaurant.

After a delicious meal, filled with island delicacies and exotic flavours, they walked slowly back to the suite. Red went to bed almost as soon as she undressed. She was having trouble keeping her eyes open and too much sun and wine with dinner didn't help.

Shane collapsed in the lounge on the deck with the stereo playing quietly in the background. X called a couple of his surf buddies and they arranged to go parasailing the following day. He was still bouncing around when he wandered out to ask Shane if he wanted to come, too.

Shane wasn't sure if it was nervous energy or if he was really just insane. "Don't you think we should take it easy for a day or two?" He scowled at X. "We may need to be sharp soon."

Xander just laughed at him. "Gotta play the part, brah. Party down. Wassa mattah, Shane? You gettin' old?" He peeled his T off. "C'mon. Le's go for a swim." Rubbing the top of the SEAL's head as he sauntered by, he dove in right off the deck.

"Aren't you supposed to call Gibbons? Red said you should." Shane reminded him when he surfaced. He was undressing... again. Seemed like that was what he'd done the most since arriving here.

"Too early. I'll call in a coupla hours." X rolled over and floated on his back looking up. "What time is it in Washington, anyway?"

"Almost 2100hours. So, add 10... it's about 0700 on the east coast." He dove in and came up alongside his friend.

The two men chatted quietly as they floated side by side. Planning out details and thinking of what equipment they would need. It was a bit more difficult for Shane. He was used to working with more backup than just X... and his team was a lot steadier than the crazy extreme athlete. More reliable. He knew exactly how they would react in any given situation. Not Xander, he could go in any direction, depending on his mood.

Shane quirked a small smile to himself. He'd just remembered something Gibbons had called X, a 'loose cannon'. It described him perfectly. Loose cannon with a lit fuse.

Morning came early. Red was really grouchy, cussing at her men for getting her toasted. She refused to admit it was her own fault for forgetting sunscreen. She showered and only let Shane slather her with lotion and aloe gel. He had a gentler touch than X.

Xander pouted, but went to order in breakfast... and aspirin for her headache. She really had gotten too much sun. He guessed it was sort of his fault... the afternoon on the beach had been his idea.

Red re-packed after eating and Shane took her bags to the launch. They decided that made more sense since she had arrived with him. She made the short boat ride across the lagoon on her own, leaving him standing rather forlornly on the dock. It was so cute, she smiled.

Xander was on the phone with a local guide. He was trying to arrange a trip inland. He had gotten the wild idea to reprise his hanglider stunt. So now he was getting a tour together of crazies to try it with him.

There was a good spot for take-off on the far side of the main peak. The prevailing winds hit the volcano and shot almost straight up. It would allow him to get the height he needed to sail over the island and land in the lagoon.

He figured if it was successful, he'd have the perfect excuse to throw a really bitchin' celebration. Sure to attract plenty of attention.


	8. Chapter 11

Red was already feeling the loss of her men by the time the launch had crossed the lagoon and docked at Vaitape. She had never been to this part of the world before, and even though the islanders were friendly and helpful, she missed the comfort of their protectiveness.

She had not had any problems while with Shane, but X knew she still had flashbacks and occasional nightmares. And it was jungly here. Just like Panama. She hoped if she stayed near the coast, where it was more open, she would be okay. She had to be. The mission required her full concentration.

She sighed, pulled the handle on her bag, picked up the backpack and slung it over her shoulder. Ouch! Sunburn, she had forgotten about that. She stopped, put the backpack on top of the larger bag and pulled both behind her up the quay. Time to get a room. She smiled to herself, regretfully. A lonely room, with no big man to fill it up.

Once settled, she e-mailed Host her location so he would know where to send the encrypted phone. Then she unpacked her things and slathered more aloe over her shoulders and chest, and wherever else she could reach.

She looked at herself in the mirror. Her nose was probably going to peel. God, what an idiot. She knew better than to spend hours in tropical sunshine unprotected. Thank goodness, most of the time she had been covered. Well, mostly. Her knees and shins were burned pretty badly, too. And her lower arms and the backs of her hands.

She sighed again. She looked like such a tourist. Oh, well. At least she would blend in. That could be a good thing. She checked her watch. Jeez, almost lunch time. She went down to the main lobby to check for messages or mail, told the concierge she was expecting a package.  
>Got directions to the restaurant and spa. She would spend the afternoon prettying herself up. Just in case.<p>

She mostly enjoyed her afternoon at the spa. The attendants were very solicitous of her tender burnt skin. The girl who did her nails recommended she not have a regular massage, but one with the moisturizing coconut and tea tree oils.

Figuring that she probably knew what she was talking about, Red did just as she suggested. It was mildly uncomfortable when the oils were first spread on, but they soothed the hot, dry skin well. She felt so much better when it was over, she went back and tipped the nail girl again.

As she passed the main desk on her way back to her room, the concierge called out to her. "Madamoseille! Miss!" Speaking in French, he smiled as she turned to see. "Votre colis est arrivé. Your package has arrived."

She returned the smile, pleased. Host was nothing if not prompt. "Je vous remercie beaucoup, monsieur. Je vous remercie de votre attention." "Thank you very much, sir. I appreciate your attention."

Red swayed over to the desk to collect the phone. She signed and patted the man's hand, with another blinding smile. She knew very well the poor guy thought she was some kind of celebrity. Who else arrives last minute, with little luggage, takes the most expensive room and signs for it with a single name? But the small deception would make it easier for her to ask for things he might not give another guest.

The first thing she did after she'd gone upstairs and opened her 'care package', was go out on her balcony and try to reach one of the boys. She finally got through to Shane, he complained that Xander had been using both phones at one point and she laughed.

"Oh, no! What insanity has he come up with now?" She giggled. She could hear him in the background whoop at something. She knew that excited, happy yell. He was plotting something dangerous and spectacular again.

Shane groused at her. "He's nuts. Certifiable. Wants to do that hang glider stunt again. Off the damn volcano, no less. And he wants to take some of his surf buddies with him. Bad enough he tries to kill himself... now he's making it a joint project?"

"I'm supposed to film this insanity, too. Then he plans on sending it to somebody named 'Jay' to edit and publish to his web page." He sighed and she could just see him shake his head and rub his hand over it. "I didn't even know he had his own page. At least he doesn't expect **me** to try it."

She laughed. "You know he always plans these things very carefully, Shane. They look more dangerous than they are most of the time. I know, things can always go wrong, but he does try to plan for that, too. And Jay is his agent. She does all his publicity." She got a little more serious. "You remember Panama. How he made your team crazy going over stuff."

"Yeah, I guess." He sounded resigned. "But where does he come up with these ideas?"

"He is a showman, isn't he?" She chuckled. "I assume it comes from years of shoving his middle finger in Uncle Sam's face. He does know how to get noticed." She told him to just enjoy it as much as he could and to kiss X for her. Then she signed off with an "I love you, Sweetie. Both of you."

Shane sighed, not looking forward to telling X he had missed Red's call. And especially not looking forward to 'kissing' him for her. He could just imagine X's reaction. Shane didn't think he could handle it, even though he was fairly certain X was as straight as he. But, he was a torment and seemed to love making Shane the butt of his little innuendos.


	9. Chapter 12

X had tomorrow already planned out. He would parasail with some of his island friends in the morning. Then he was going to catch a plane to Tahiti where he would be picking up a pile of equipment he had ordered.

It would arrive much sooner than normal; he had called Gibbons and informed him of what was happening. The NSA lead agent wasn't happy, but when he heard that X had back-up and who it was, he relented and promised X he would get whatever he needed. As long as he kept Gibbons informed.

Shane's morning would be taken up with intelligence gathering. He had to go to the main island and pick up the second satellite phone from Red's hotel. She told him to ask the concierge; she would leave it with him, and a few other small, but essential items. First he would go to the Cyber-Cafe, the island's only available Internet access. He needed information, wanted to get the satellite pictures and needed to inform his CO how things were progressing.

The trio actually got a full night's sleep, each in their own bed for a change. Surprisingly, they all slept well. The excitement and planning for the 'mission' had tired them all out.

Red planned on lunching with Shane, though he was as yet unaware. She would 'accidentally' bump into him at the cafe, then invite him to join her. She wondered if she could get away with spilling coffee on him. It would be the perfect excuse to invite him up to her room to clean up.

She grinned evilly to herself. 'Clean up'. Yeah, right. But they would be able to speak freely. She'd already swept the room and knew it was clean. Bug free. The electronic kind, that is.

X had gotten up early, Shane was awake but not yet dressed. He was surprised to see his tattooed companion already headed out. X asked if he'd be able to meet him at the airport when he returned; he would need extra hands for all the equipment. Shane assured him he'd be there.

"Cool, brah. Not that the islanders aren't helpful, but some of the cameras and stuff are delicate, you know? You know how to handle that stuff." He stood there for a minute, watching Shane do calisthenics and sighed, shaking his head as he left. He could think of lots of better ways to exercise.

Shane decided to have breakfast in the hotel dining room. He hadn't really seen much of the place and wanted to get a look around. Xander had told him to raid his closet, the khakis just made him too obvious, so he found a pair of board shorts that weren't too outlandish and a second pair of sandals. He wore his own t-shirt, though. Then he was supposed to meet Arenui for his 'paint job' as X had called it.

After 'wandering' around the public areas of the hotel property for an hour or so, he had the layout memorized. Now it was time to head to the main island. He had pictures to collect and tattoos to have applied.

When Shane made his way to the Internet cafe, he was surprised to find it buzzing with activity. Apparently, X's upcoming stunt was already widely known amongst the surfing community. And people were notifying their friends off-island, as well. This stunt was going to have world-wide publicity at the rate things were going. He wasn't sure he was pleased by the idea or not.

He had to wait to get a chance at a connection, so he sat and ordered a coffee. He had managed to sit and get connected, finishing his report when someone brushed his shoulder. He turned, looking up and it pushed his shoulder into the woman passing behind him.

Red pretended to lose her balance, nearly falling into his lap. Her cappuchino went flying, but most of it missed him. "Oh my God!" She squeaked. "I am so sorry! Did I get any on you? Oh no, I did!" She brushed at his chest with the fistful of napkins she held. Then she stopped, her hand still pressed against his pec and pretended to do a double take. "Oh, my! You are a big boy, aren't you?" She crooned, giving him an obvious and approving once over.

He just stared back at her, mouth half-open in surprise. "Come. Let me get you cleaned up." She slid her hand down his arm and took his hand, trying to pull him up out of his seat.

"Uh, it's okay, Miss. I'm fine." He brushed at himself, then caught her slight wink.

"No, no. I insist. Come, my hotel concierge will fix this up in no time. And you can tell me all about yourself while they clean your shirt." She gave him one of her blazing smiles and pulled at him again.

This time, still looking slightly stunned, he came with her. She led him out of the cafe, chattering away inanely as she wound her arm through his and headed toward her hotel. "What are you doing?" He hissed at her when they were outside.

"Checking up on you." She whispered back, still smiling brightly. "Play along, silly boy."

Red clung to his arm as if she had just discovered a real prize and babbled away as though she hadn't a brain in her head. Shane was so surprised by the act she put on, he just followed along, a slightly bemused expression on his face. It was perfect.

She went straight to the front desk and told the new man behind it, she had accidentally just **ruined** this poor man's shirt. She was taking him upstairs; they would please send a robe to fit him and have another shirt bought while he waited, yes? Another 1000 watt smile, and she breezed to the elevators, never having let go Shane's arm.

He looked at her, amazed. When the doors closed, he asked, "How are they going to know which room? You never said; never even gave your name?" She chuckled throatily.

"Oh, don't you worry, lover. They know where I am. And they think they know who or rather what I am."

"Really? What's that?" He stared at her, frowning quizzically.

She laughed again. "A celebrity... or someone rich and famous, at least. They've been kissing my ass since I signed in." She looked him over. Shane leaned away a bit at the gleam in her eye. "So, when do you have to meet Arenui and friend?"

"No. You're not thinking..." Shane shut up and actually backed up. She just grinned and stalked the three steps to him. Sliding her hands up his chest to wrap around the back of his neck, Red leaned into the big man.

"Mmmm. It will take about an hour for the hotel to find and send up another shirt. You can spare me that long, can't you?" She wriggled a little, "and you can put some more lotion on my burns."

Shane sighed. He knew there was no way he was getting out of this. To tell the truth, he really didn't want to, anyway. And he figured he did owe her the lotioning. So he wrapped his arms around her, hands cupping her cheeks and grinned back.

"Well, if getting smeared with lotion is what you want... I think I can manage that."

The elevator dinged at Red's floor and she instantly slipped back into character. Hanging on his arm and wiggling down the hall, simpering at him and giggling inanities. Eyes hidden behind her large dark glasses, her wide sun hat in her free hand, she actually looked like she could be what she pretended.

She ignored the family they passed, who stared at them, sure they should recognise the beautiful woman. Slipping her key card into the lock, she opened the door and dragged him in. Shane picked her up and carried her into the bedroom, tossing her carefully onto the center of the bed. "Okay. Where's that lotion?" He chuckled at her surprised expression.

Red just blinked at him and pointed to the dresser. She wasn't sure what he was planning, it was so unlike him to just toss her like that. Maybe a little of X's craziness was starting to rub off on him?

Shane grabbed the bottle and turned around, pulling his shirt off. He looked at the little redhead and grinned. "Still dressed? He had already kicked off his sandals as he walked back over to her.

Red smiled, delighted, and quickly stripped out of her blouse and skirt. She rolled onto her stomach and looked back over a shoulder. Shane was standing there, just staring. When she raised a brow, he shrugged. "You have the cutest dimples." And he leaned down and kissed each one, making her wriggle.

He did slather her back before asking her to turn over. Then he lay down beside her and she gathered him in for a kiss. "I really don't have a lot of time, Red." He looked unhappy about that.

"It's okay, Sweetie. Just take me and then go do whatever you have to. I just want to feel you close." She murmured in his ear, pulling him over her. He leaned back for a minute, stripping out of his pants and then settled between her thighs. She purred as his already hard length pressed against her. "That's my man," she cooed in his ear and wrapped her legs over his hips.

~~~~~~

While Red and Shane were 'discussing' their plans for the mission, X was having the time of his life. Literally high as a kite, he enjoyed the parasailing even as he checked out the air currents and geography of the island's main volcanic peak. He'd heard from several sources that it had never been climbed to the summit.

From the air, it was easier to see the topography of the peak and where he'd be launching from.  
>He spotted a good, wide open space near the summit. Perfect for his take-off if he could get himself and his equipment to it. He'd check with a couple of the native trail guides when he came down and made it back to shore.<p>

Xander made it back to his hotel in time to take a quick shower and grab a bite to eat with only a few minutes to spare before he had to catch the launch to the motu where the airstrip was located. He arrived barely a half hour before the last daily flight to Papeete, Tahiti. He would stay on the larger island with a cousin of Arenui's. After making sure everything had arrived and was in good shape, he'd bring it all back to Bora Bora in the morning.

Shane was shaken awake and almost literally kicked out of bed by the CIA agent he was rapidly becoming more than enamored of. He would have to watch himself, he thought. Or he was gonna get himself in trouble. He still had a problem with the ease with which she and Xander seemed to be able to 'share'.

Red sent him to shower while she ordered them a light lunch. He had time to eat before his appointment and she had a clear solution for him to take with him. It needed to be applied to the new 'tattoos' immediately after they set. The concoction was similar to the ingredient used in women's makeup that made waterproof mascara last. It should keep his tattoos from running or fading for at least a week if he reapplied it every other day or so.

Red knew she was playing a dangerous game with the big SEAL. She was very fond of him, as a friend as well as a lover, but she knew she had to be careful. Or he was going to get in too deep and she didn't want him hurt.

She didn't want to jeopardise their friendship, nor his deepening friendship with Xander. She figured she'd wait until this crazy rescue mission was over, then sit down and have a serious conversation with him. He was good for her though; in her still relatively fragile state, she needed someone as thoughtful and gentle as Shane.

The little assassin wished she could keep them both. They were perfect foils for one another. Shane's steadiness and responsibility balanced her wild man's impulsive craziness perfectly. And she loved the easy way the two got along; their bantering was adorable and in bed... well, that was simply heaven.

But, she just couldn't see the SEAL accepting their unusual relationship forever. He would want to settle down and have a normal life, babies and everything someday. That was something she couldn't give him and it made her heart hurt when she realized she would if she could. So she decided she would make sure to keep their relationship light; she refused to deny him the chance to find a true love.

Red sighed, staring out over the lagoon. It was too beautiful here for such depressing thoughts. "What's the matter, Beautiful?" Her big lover wrapped his arms around her, kissing the top of her shoulder. Shane was still damp from his shower and wrapped in only a towel as he snuggled up behind her.

"Oh, nothing, really." She turned in his arms and smiled. Kissing his chin, she admonished him, "You need to get dressed, Sweetie, or you won't have time to eat. And I have some little presents for you."

"Presents?" He asked, grinning. "I thought the lady got the presents after... you know." He suddenly blushed. Red just looked at him; Shane making a risque joke? X was definitely corrupting him. She laughed and kissed him again.

"Ah, so now you are my gigolo, huh? Just wait 'til I tell Xander." She was going through the package Host had sent, pulling out pieces of surveillance equipment.

"God, no! Please, Red! He'll never let me live that down!" Shane sounded more than a little panicked. He was sitting on the side of her bed, pulling on his shorts.

"Don't be silly, silly. I would never torture you like that. Now come here and see what Host sent us." She smiled over her shoulder, holding up a tiny mike and wiring. They went over the various pieces together. Dark sunglasses that had a camera in the temple piece, several mikes and GPS transponders, the second satellite phone, even a pair of digital cameras that concealed single-shot pistols.

"This stuff is unbelievable," Shane shook his head. "I know surveillance shit and this is way beyond anything I've ever worked with. Straight outta some cheesy spy novel. Amazing."

Red giggled and slapped his shoulder. Then, suddenly serious, she murmured, "You should see some of my [b]**other**[/b] equipment. It's not just amazing; it's damned scary." She sighed, "Makes me wonder about the people who think up this stuff." She gave a little shiver and huffed, shaking off the thought.

Shane frowned, seeing a vulnerability in the little redhead that she'd probably deny if mentioned. "You are amazing and scary, Red. And beautiful and the strongest woman I've ever met. I don't know how you do this. I mean going in alone, no backup, in situations where your life is in danger."

He sighed. "It's different for me. I've always had my team to fall back on, know they'd never leave me behind. And a lot of our missions weren't... uh... final solutions. But, that's what you [b]**do**[/b]." He smiled at her, "And yet, you're so full of life, so loving. You just floor me."

"Shane, that is the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me!" She flung her arms around his neck and hugged him, hard. "I love you, you big softie. You know that?"

He frowned, holding her back a little. Staring into his deep, slightly confused brown eyes, Red sighed. "Not like I love X, but I do, Shane. You're so solid, you ground me. Right now I need that. But we will talk more, later, okay? We gotta get you to your tattoo guy now." Red smiled hopefully at her big SEAL.

Surprisingly perceptive, Shane held her shoulders. "You okay, Red? You went through a pretty tough time last year."

She swallowed hard and took a deep breath, blinking back sudden tears. "I will be. You and Xander... I need you both. Just love me and I'll be fine. I promise. I will."

He pulled her back to his chest, rubbing her back. "Shh, shh, baby. We'll take care of you. Don't you worry about anything. We'll keep you safe." She nodded, her cheek pressed to his solid warmth; she did feel safe enclosed in his arms.

"Okay. I'm good, now. Let's get you going." Red took a deep breath, patting Shane's back and pulling out of his embrace. "Shoo, now. I have things to do, and so do you. X is counting on us."


	10. Chapter 13

X got a rousing send-off from his surf buddies as he left his hotel. They yelled encouragements to him and he told them he was only going to be gone for a day. Then he'd be back and they would see some real stunts. He made sure he was close enough to the island's only reporter to be easily heard.

He took the launch to the airstrip and boarded the small prop for the short flight to Tahiti. He pulled out his cell before they took off, sending Red a short text. 'Love ya, babe. On my way. Cya soon. xxxooo X'.

Red smiled when her phone beeped; that would be X letting her know he was off to collect his equipment. Two days and this thing would finally be set in motion. Then they only had to hope the pirates would take the bait; and that it would be the same bunch that had kidnapped X's friend and the girl.

Arenui picked Shane up from the cafe. He had returned there after leaving Red, didn't have to wait long. They drove around the island to another native village where the tattoo artist had his shop. Shane was there until almost dusk; he let Are and Purotu choose the designs.

The man spent some time deciding how he was going to cover Shane's navy tattoo, finally settling on a turtle set in a complicated swirl pattern that wrapped around his shoulder and halfway down his upper arm. He also placed several bands in different designs on both arms just above the elbow on one side and at the end of the ¾ sleeve of the other and a wide one around his left thigh.

Purotu explained to the big SEAL that the tattoos were not just decoration, but each symbol had meaning. The turtle was a protective sign and the bands were for skillfulness, dedication and sacrifice. The swirls could represent many things, but often meant the winds or sky, (heaven), and waves.

Shane nodded and thanked the artist when he was finally finished. He was actually quite pleased with the work. It turned out to be quite intricate and since it was done all in black, it looked rather understated compared to Xander's.

Purotu insisted Are and Shane stay and eat, Shane especially since he had spent the afternoon baking in the sun while being painted. He also applied the first layer of the protective coating as soon as the tattoos had dried. And gave Shane instructions on caring for them so they would last.

After a delicious fish and native fruits and vegetable meal, they said goodbye and Are drove Shane directly to the launch in Vitape. He had to catch the last boat back to the hotel. After applying another layer of sealant, he took a shower, watched a movie and went to sleep.


	11. Chapter 14

In the morning, he took the launch over to the airstrip to meet Xander. The small plane had already landed and X was out on the tarmac, overseeing the unloading of his equipment. He didn't look particularly happy, waving his arms and pointing at his stuff.

Shane pushed through the people waiting for friends and family, hopped over the barrier and joined X. Xander good-naturedly pounded him on the back of his shoulder and started handing him boxes of his stuff. There was a small wheeled trolley beside the cargo hatch and he and Shane loaded it up, preempting the crew and other passengers.

The pilot just shook his head, watching. Xander stood there, directing where each piece went and yelling every time a box wasn't handled as carefully as he wanted. Finally, frustrated, he pushed the crewman out of his way and jumped into the hold. Then he handed every piece of his equipment out to Shane. The SEAL was much better at following his instructions, placing each box exactly as he was instructed.

The other passengers stood around waiting for their luggage, talking amongst themselves. The two big men did make for an interesting diversion. Both were sweating by the time they were finished, their shirts sticking to their heavily muscled torsos.

X jumped back down and grabbed the handle of the trolley. He obviously wasn't planning to wait for anyone else's luggage and several people protested. The crewman quieted everyone by telling them he'd find another trolley and explaining the big guy was an internationally known athlete preparing for some fancy trick.

Rather than take all the equipment back to the hotel and have to move it again, X decided to take it all directly to Arenui's house. They had to use two of the little trucks, the frames for the parasails and special board took up all the space in one. Shane waited with the pile of boxes while X took the one still empty 4X4 into Vitape to find more rope to tie everything down.

As he leaned against the side, in the shade of several large palms, he pulled his sticky shirt away from his body and fanned it to cool off and dry a bit. He wasn't aware of being watched until a young islander came up to him and asked if he needed help packing all that stuff. The young man laughingly asked if he was moving to the island, he certainly had enough boxes.

Shane turned with a slight frown, but the guy's pleasant smile relaxed him. X had said the people here were friendly and helpful. "No, thanks. Waiting for my friend to come back from town with rope to secure all these. It's all stuff he needs for his stunt."

"Ah. I heard about that. Actually, I thought maybe you were him. You fit the description." The guy stuck out a hand. "I'm Francois." He looked Shane over again. "Soo... you related?"

Shane grinned and shook his hand. "Shane. And no, we're just friends. I'll be filming for him. X is the crazy one; I just take the pictures to prove it." They both laughed and turned to watch X flying up the road, a plume of dust behind him.

Francois glanced at Shane. "He always drive like that? I think I see what you mean." Shane just shrugged and sighed.

Xander rocked to a stop and leaped out of the 4X4 before it had even stopped bouncing. "Dude! I got rope! C'mon, let's get this stuff up to Are's!" He threw several coils at Shane and hauled more out of the back of his truck, dropping them on the ground between the vehicles.

Glancing at the newcomer as he passed, he grinned and nodded. "Hey!" X ignored the guy's stunned stare, his head swinging back and forth between the two big men. Shane chuckled, it wasn't the first time, and if he stayed friends with the crazy NSA agent, he was sure it would continue to happen.

He sighed and moved up to the pile, lifting a box that X pointed at and handing it up to him where he stood in the bed of the small truck. Now he knew how deliverymen felt. This was the fourth time he'd moved these same boxes and he still had one more time to go. Today. Day of the actual trick, they'd move everything again, several times.

They finally got it all stowed to X's satisfaction, even Francois pitching in good naturedly. The three men chatted about inconsequentials as they worked. He laughed and waved off X's offer of payment when they were done. So X invited him to the after-party to help celebrate.

"Thanks, I'd like that. You seem really sure this thing will work. And all this stuff... must have cost you plenty, huh?" He asked. Shane had noticed him checking the shipping labels on the boxes he lifted.

"Not too bad. The biggest expense was having it all over-nighted from Hawaii, Sydney and LA. The board is actually one I had made for a similar stunt I did last year. Had to have it shipped from my house in California." He grinned at Shane. "You shoulda heard Jay scream. She was pissssed!"

He laughed, again. "We get some decent footage outta this and she'll shut up quick. Another video to market will make her real happy." When the SEAL frowned, Xander winked at him and scratched his ear. Shane realized he was making sure to get word of the rich athlete spread as far as he could.

X jumped down and rechecked all the bindings one more time. He hopped into the driver seat of his 4X4 and waved at Francois. "See you at the party, dude. I'm at the Hilton; the presidential villa at the far end of the jetty. Day after tomorrow." With that he waved and took off, Shane following. 


	12. Chapter 15

Shane was impressed by Xander's quick thinking and told him so when they arrived in the village. "That was pretty slick, the way you didn't say how much you'd spent and yet let Francois know you'd spent plenty. But then telling him where you were staying... should you have?"

X scowled at his companion. "I thought the idea behind this was to get me kidnapped, right? They won't come for me at the hotel... but it will add an extra incentive." He pulled loose another knot and shook his head. "You're pretty good at stowing and securing shit. Lotta practice, huh?"

Shane just shrugged and made a little face. "You could say that."

Xander looked at him, brows raised, laughed and punched his shoulder. "Now, I suppose you're gonna say you'll have to kill me, if you tell me. Just like Red does." He chuckled some more, lifting boxes out of the bed of the 4X4.

Surprising him, Shane frowned. "Is she okay, X?" When Xander's head snapped up, he added, "She seems, I don't know... like she's trying real hard to hide how she feels... sad underneath. Almost brittle... "

X sighed and turned to lean his back against the vehicle. He nodded, thoughtful now. "Yeah, it still gets to her sometimes. She's not as fragile as she seems, though. She won't break. She just needs reinforcement every now and then. I try to give her that without making her feel weak. She hates that."

"I hope you're right, man. She didn't really seem herself yesterday."

X looked at Shane and frowned. "Yesterday?"

Shane gulped, hoping he hadn't just caused a problem. "Uh, yeah. I was at the cafe and she spilled her coffee on me. So she had an excuse to drag me back to her hotel. I thought it was just so she could pass the surveillance equipment, you know? But she wanted... um..."

"She wanted you to fuck her? Just say so, dude. It's okay. I know how she feels about you."

Shane stared at Xander, completely confused. "You do? I mean, it's one thing when we're here together. I know you're doing... letting me... I mean, it's for her. But, we were alone..." He trailed off, not really sure what he was trying to say or how to say it.

Xander snorted. "You afraid of stepping on my toes, man? Don't be. I've got it figured out. She loves me. But, she has such a big heart, she just can't keep it all inside until she's with me. And she loves you, too. Right now, she needs all the attention we can give her. So if she wants you, it's fine with me. As long as [b]**you**[/b] can handle it."

He sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. "I figure Red's kinda like a beautiful little bee. She's always flitting from flower to flower, spreading the love, you know? But, you can't cage her and you can't hold too tight. It'll crush her. So I let her go. She always come back to her honeycomb, eventually." He waggled his brows and grinned. "Besides, I sure as hell don't want to make her feel trapped and get stung!" He laughed. "C'mon, we got a lot more to unload."

Shane thought about it for a moment, then shook his head and snickered slyly. "Are you comparing me to a flower, Cage? I think I might have to take exception to that." He smacked X across the back of his head. "You're the one with all the colour, after all."

X looked up, shocked and then burst out laughing. "That reminds me. Lemme see the paint job. Are said it was awesome."

Shane sighed and pulled off his shirt, turning in a circle. "Epic, bro!" Xander enthused. "That looks so real. Amazing job!" Both big men turned at the gasp that came from behind them. Are's wife, Mohea stood there with a drink in each hand. She was wide-eyed and her mouth hung open.

"Sacre Bleu!" She smiled widely. "You are beautiful, cherie. If I were not already married... mmm, mmm, mmm!" She sighed. "The little howlie, she is a lucky woman. She laughed aloud when Shane ducked his head and blushed fiercely. He pulled his t-shirt back on as fast as he could.

Still smiling broadly, she offered the cool fruit drinks to the men. "Are will be along shortly. He can show you where you can safely store all that." She waved at the piles of equipment.

Xander took his glass and gave her a hug. "Thanks, Mohea. You're a peach. Are's the lucky one. I hope he knows what a gem he has. If not, you could always come home with me."

"Oho! So, you would give up la belle dame for me? I [b]**could**[/b] keep you happy. I am an excellent cook... and I would see that you got enough exercise so you don't get fat." Laughing, she patted his stomach. "And you could make me some beautiful babies, non?"

She lifted a brow, grinning. Xander squeezed her and planted a kiss on top of her head. "Mohea, you would make beautiful babies no matter what the father looked like. Are better take good care of you. I'd hate to have to be the one to beat some sense into him if he didn't." He chuckled and turned her loose.

Shane watched the exchange with a little disbelieving smirk. Amazing what the guy got away with. He was an incorrigible flirt. He didn't understand how Red put up with him.

Just then his phone beeped. Speak of the devil... it was her. "Hey, Beautiful. What's up?" Xander looked over, surprised. Shane shrugged, listening to the little redhead ask where he was and explain that she wanted to test some of the 'spy stuff' she had given him.

"I'm still at Arenui's with X. We're unloading his stuff for the stunt. I don't know; maybe an hour?"  
>He checked with Xander, who nodded in agreement. "You want me to text you? Sure. Okay, you want X? Yeah, he's right here." He passed the cell to his friend.<p>

"Hey, Babe! How you doing? We're fine. You should see Shane. Awesome job. I may have this guy do something for me when this is all over. Okay. Yeah, I'll tell him. Love you." He handed the phone back and before Shane could pull away, he yanked the SEAL close and planted a wet, sloppy kiss right on his mouth.

"Agggh! What th' fuck? Are you nuts?" Shane backed off, wiping his face and staring at X like he had gone completely crazy.

Xander laughed so hard, he doubled over, tears in his eyes. He had to lean against the 4X4 to keep his feet. He tried three times before he managed to gasp out, "She... she said... said kiss you for her." He howled some more at Shane's disgusted frown. "So I did."

"Jesus, X! Did you hafta use tongue?" Shane turned his face away and spat. He wiped his mouth on the front of his shirt. Xander fell down, gasping for breath. He pounded the ground beside him. "You.. should see... Oh, God! Your face!" He bellowed some more, completely helpless. "Fuckin A! Oh, my sides!" He wrapped his arms around his abdomen and rocked where he sat, still laughing.

"I will get you for that." Shane growled at him, but he had to smile. Xander was infectious. Totally nuts; willing to push anybody's buttons for a laugh.

Are showed up shortly and they got everything stowed. After going over his plans with the islander, X was finally satisfied. Shane thanked his wife for her hospitality while the others talked.

Are would meet them early, after bringing everything to the pier. They'd load his boat, Shane would bring and set up the cameras, and then X and Are would head for the peak. Shane and another of Are's cousins would head into the lagoon and around the other side of the island to film.

Before X left, Shane had a couple of small devices he would put on or in Xander's equipment and in his wetsuit. Waterproof GPS units, a button mike and tiny camera would all be secreted on the big athlete and in his equipment.

Shane had it all programmed into his laptop and he would have that with him. He had also tied everything in to Red's computer as well. That way, even if something happened to Shane, she could still track Xander. Hopefully, it would lead them to wherever Bobby and the girl were being held.

X planned on deliberately overshooting his projected landing area. Going too far to land in the lagoon, instead he would come down in open ocean. The boat would have to go through the break in the reef to pick him up. Hopefully, before they got back, the pirates would strike.

Back at their hotel, Shane showered, X opting for a dip in the lagoon instead. He quickly rinsed off and then spent some time on the cell phone, chatting with a couple of the other surfers who would act as his crew. Though he had offered, no one wanted to take him up on the opportunity to join him in his insanity. They didn't mind coming along to watch and assist him, though.

Shane texted Red as promised, and they spent some time checking to be sure all the equipment was working properly. Once they were both satisfied, they hung up. Red giggled after asking if Xander had delivered her earlier message and Shane made a disgusted sound.

"He tongued you, didn't he?" She chuckled.

"How could you do that to me?" The SEAL whined, making her laugh more. He was glad to hear her amusement, seemed she had gotten over whatever was depressing her the day before. "I told you he was a torment," she reminded him.

Deciding to keep a low profile for the time being, she had dinner in her room, relaxing with a glass of wine and a book she had picked up. The guys ate on the main island, only returning to the villa on the last launch of the evening. They made it an early night, having to be up early for the climb to the peak.


	13. Chapter 16

16 ~~~~~~

The young male captive slowly raised his head. Still trapped in the dark and smelly hold of the boat, he could hear his captors moving about above. They were making a lot more noise than was usual, and he heard them jabbering rapidly back and forth. Something was up; they sounded excited.

He looked over to the other side of the hold, squinting in the gloom through his one open eye. The other was swollen shut from the punch he taken. He tried to see if Titian was awake. Her blonde head rolled with the motion of the boat, loose as though she were still unconscious.

Bobby sighed unhappily. He had repeatedly told her to keep quiet and not annoy these men. They were dangerous and wouldn't hesitate to kill her and him if she continued to act like a spoiled brat.

He licked dry, cracked lips; They hadn't been given any water since her last outburst yesterday. The one that got her smacked around and him nearly shot when he had protested. Only the fact that he'd backed off after reminding the mixed group she wasn't worth anything dead had made them stop beating her.

He flexed his shoulders and arms, while trying not to move his wrists. There was hardly any feeling left in his hands and he could feel where blood had caked from the chafing of his bonds. Wiggling his fingers brought pins and needles that made him hiss in pain.

He rolled his head, loosening his tense neck muscles and then stretched his legs as much as he could. He'd been sitting in the same position for so long everything was numb and stiff. At least the parts of him that didn't hurt were numb. He was pretty sure he a couple of cracked ribs and he knew several teeth had been knocked loose.

He heard the engines deepen and felt the vibration as the ship began to move, the rocking increasing as they turned into the ocean swells. He wondered where they were headed. In fact, he wondered where they were currently. From the feel of the boat, they were on the high seas, not near any land.

It grew quieter above as the crew bent to their various tasks. Bobby could hear the hiss of the boat cutting through the water over the sound of the engines. It meant that they were picking up speed toward wherever they were headed. Maybe the ransom demand for his girlfriend had been met? Or more likely, they were planning another run to trade the drugs stacked in crates all around him for more guns and ammunition. Either way, he had a bad feeling it wasn't going to go well for him.

He was also worried about their companions from the surf boat. Neither Vetea, his crew nor any of the other surfers were being held with Bobby and Titian. The young man didn't know if they were being held somewhere else, or if their captors had already killed the others. All he was sure of was that he hadn't seen them since the first day.


	14. Chapter 17

RRR,17~~~~~~

As soon as the sun peeked over the horizon, Xander was up and agitating to get started. He wouldn't even give Shane a half hour to do his usual morning exercise, pushing him to grab a quick bite and drinks. They actually swam the lagoon to the main island as the first launch didn't leave for two hours and X couldn't... wouldn't wait.

Shane had packed clothes for them in a waterproof pack along with the cameras and his other equipment. They crawled out of the water on the beach just south of the landing at Vitape. Shane changed right on the beach, Xander opting to dry off on the drive to Arenui's. He had to put on a lightweight, abbreviated wetsuit and it would be easier if he wasn't damp-skinned.

Are met them at the launch and they also hired a second 4X4 for the rest of X's 'crew' of surfers. Everyone was excited and chattering happily, looking forward to being a part of another 'Xander Zone' epic stunt. They had no clue what was really happening.

Another of the surfers, nicknamed 'Crazy Ivan' for his tendency to suddenly cut off novice surfers while laughing hysterically, was given the job of filming the set-up on the peak. Shane was leery, but X calmed him by telling him the guy was actually a pretty good cameraman. He knew his way around the equipment.

The group was split, some heading for the peak with X and Are after loading his hang glider, board and other paraphernalia in the back of the larger truck. Shane and the rest would put the camera equipment in the smaller vehicle and meet Are's cousin at his boat. Then they would head out into the lagoon and around to the west side of the island to retrieve Xander when he came down.

The surfers would be in the lagoon, paddling around on their boards; Shane and X had decided it was the easiest way to keep them safe from being kidnapped, if the pirates did take the bait. The only one who knew what could happen was Are's cousin, the captain of the camera/pickup boat.

Red had spoken to both her handler and Gibbons the evening before and she was tied in to the geosat, watching for any unusual activity in the area. So far, all she'd seen was fishing boats, but as the day progressed, there would be more traffic. Tour boats, the island's catamaran taxis, hotel launches and a ferry that went to the next island, Taha'a, would congest the waters as well as any number of small sailing vessels that were privately owned.

She was watching specifically for a medium-sized, fast, cutter type that might make a rapid change in course or speed. She had already contacted the admiral on Guam and he was putting up an AWAK for her. The pilot had been given the frequency for her satellite phone so she could use it to get the pictures from the plane by connecting to her laptop.

Unbeknownst to the trio, the pirates had eyes on the island. A young native man, whose brother had gotten in trouble with the wrong people fed them information on wealthy tourist types who might take more adventurous trips beyond the reef. Perfect opportunities for them to make some easy money.

After Francois told his brother about the loud, brash American athlete who threw money around like sea shells, he was asked to see if he could lure the man into the open ocean. So he told them about Xander's planned stunt. If he overshot the lagoon, they would have a small boat waiting.

It was beached on the southern edge of Tupai Atoll about 10 miles north of Bora Bora's Motu Mute airstrip. The pirates waited patiently, several lookouts standing and searching the azure skies for a sail. They were also in radio contact with the boat and their informant on Bora Bora.  
>So they were informed and ready as soon as they heard that the big guy had headed for the peak of the volcano.<p>

They started off slowly, moving toward deeper water as though fishing for tuna. Heading in a southernly direction would put them in good position to scoop the surfer out of the ocean before his support team could get to him. They were confident their ship was faster than anything the athlete could put in the water.

Xander was thrilled when the hot, steep climb was finally over and the crew emerged onto the open spot near the volcano's summit. A really stiff breeze would make take-off slightly dicey, but much easier for him to overshoot his mark in the lagoon as he had planned. He could blame it on the thermals being stronger than he expected.

He continued to give instructions to the guys as he prepared for his flight. He and several others pulled the protective cover off the sail and its frame, quickly fitting the pieces together. X went over every detail, making sure every nut and bolt were fastened together correctly and tightened properly. He drank a bottle of water and made sure everybody picked up their empties.

He pulled on the shorts and vest of his wetsuit, slipped into the harness and while he and two guys held the frame of the sail, he watched closely as he was attached to the frame by various straps and made sure the carabiners were locked. Last thing he needed was to have something come apart before it was supposed to.

This was a different type of wing from what the islanders were used to seeing. More like a hang-glider, but adapted to carry extra weight. It was the same design he had used in Panama.

He tested the release on the locking mechanism that would allow him to free himself from the sail before hitting the water and the clamps holding his board to the frame as, well. Making sure they would let go when he wanted. Finally satisfied, he gave a thumb's up to the cameraman and turned to face into the rising wind.

The last thing he did before his leap was look back at Are. "Don't forget to call Shane soon as I take off. Now, I gotta party to go to! See ya later, fellas!" He charged down the slight slope and flung himself off the cliff with a wild yell. Answering calls from the guys and victory dances floated to him as he caught the thermal and swung in a circle back toward the mountain.

The bright yellow, red-striped, wing-like sail was visible even to Red where she stood on her balcony. Tiny in the distance, it loomed much closer through the small but powerful binoculars she lifted to her face. She watched her wild man circle around and around the peak of the volcano, gaining height and momentum with each pass.

She only hoped he didn't climb too high. It was already obvious to her he would never be able to bring it down in the lagoon and she was afraid he'd get caught by the prevailing winds and blown too far out to sea. She knew Shane was watching from the pickup boat; she could see them already heading for the break in the reef. They knew he was going to overshoot his mark, too.

Sitting on the beach of Motu Mute, on the seaward side of the atoll, Francois was using binoculars, too. Focused on the bright sail in the blue sky, he could see the man fighting to bring it down, tacking back and forth in the winds from the peak. He wasn't going to make it, though. The south easterly trade winds had caught him and were going to blow him out to sea. Perfect.

He picked up his phone and called his brother. That young man passed the information to his erstwhile 'bosses' and they notified the 'fishing' vessel. The crew of said ship immediately drew in their lines and turned toward the larger island to the south. They had a lookout searching the skies for the big yellow sail and he found it almost immediately.

Checking the real-time navsat image, Red saw the small boat make an abrupt turn and instantly knew they had found the pirates. It was much too quick a response for any fishermen in the area. She picked up her satellite phone and called Shane.

"It's happening, Sweetie. They took the bait. There's a small fishing boat making a beeline for Xander. Moving too fast for a real fisherman, though. Coming from the north, near Tupai. You have the transponders activated?"

"Yup." He answered immediately. "Checked them just before he took off. I got him." He hesitated for a second; "You okay, Red? He won't do anything stupid, will he?"

She sighed. "I hope not, but you never know with X. If his friend or the girl are injured, he might try something. Just make sure you get to him soon."

"We're on our way already. We'll try and follow as close as we can. Keep me updated." Shane signed off and told the boat's captain to get a move on. They sped through the gap in the reef and turned north. Shane knew they probably wouldn't catch the pirates, but hoped they could make enough speed to at least keep them in sight.


	15. Chapter 18

RRR, 18~~~~~~

Xander was indeed fighting the winds. As he turned, he could see Shane and the guys in Are's cousin's boat speeding out of the lagoon. And the other boat coming from Tupai, moving faster. It would be a toss-up who got to him first. He almost hoped it was Shane, though that was not what they had planned.

Even as high as he still was, he could see the armed men in the front of the second boat. He only hoped their aim was good, before they shot him down. He was pretty sure that was what would happen. He also hoped Shane could keep the other surfers under control, so they wouldn't try charging the bad guys and get him killed.

The idea was to follow and see where these guys took him, not intercept. If he was lucky, they would take him to wherever they were holding the girl and his friend would still be alive, too. He leaned to one side, pulling on the ropes controlling the sail, turning it again and spilling more air, dropping lower.

He yelled into the mike in his collar, knowing he had to be loud to be heard over the whistling of the wind through the ropes and the flapping of the sail. "Shane! These guys are armed... automatic rifles. I can see at least six of them on deck. Might be more below. Don't get too close. Shit, one of them has a rocket launcher! Be careful, man!"

He hoped the SEAL had heard and understood. Last thing he needed was for his rescuers to need rescuing themselves. As he turned again, he saw Shane wave, acknowledging his call.

The rescue boat slowed slightly, to be sure the pirates got to Xander first. He could see several of the guys move up to the pilot, gesticulating and pointing to the second craft. They had not been told about the planned kidnapping and were apparently worried. Shane would have his hands full, trying to keep them under control.

And he did until the sound and muzzle flash of automatic weapons fire echoed across the waves. Everybody except Shane ducked, not realizing the pirates were firing at Xander. Shane kept his fingers crossed that a stray bullet didn't hit the man suspended under that bright yellow wing.

He watched as the sail tore along the line of holes stitched into it by rifle fire. It began to spin out of control, flapping loosely. He could see Xander working at the buckles that held him harnessed to the frame. Finally he got loose and dropped straight into the ocean, feet first. The sail crashed into the water nearby, but far enough away to have not hit him.

Shane sighed in relief, looking for X to pop back up. Finally he saw him, swimming strongly back toward them. Trying uselessly to avoid his soon to be captors. They were bearing down on him pretty fast.

The pirate boat pulled up alongside of Xander, who turned to face them. He lifted his hands out of the water, giving up and was tossed a rope. Two other pirates, their guns aimed at him, stood to each side of the man who hauled X out of the waves.

One of them said something, it wasn't English, and when X turned to face him, the other immediately clocked him across the back of his head with the rifle butt. Shane winced, watching as Xander went down like a poleaxed steer. He was going to be one unhappy camper when he came to.

The boat turned away, heading back north rapidly. When Are's cousin made as if to follow, they fired towards his boat, warning them off. X's crew were furious, but helpless. They accepted Shane's suggestion to go back to Vitape and call the authorities. The sooner they got the word to the 'right people', the quicker a rescue could be mounted.

In reality, he planned to head to Red's hotel and call Gibbons and his commander. Since X was wearing several GPS transponders, they could track him easily and send in a team to his exact location. Shane fully intended to lead that team. They could be here in less than twenty-four hours.

So the pickup boat turned back, stopping only briefly to pick up the remains of X's glider and his surfboard. The guys insisting he would be devastated if they left it behind. Since it only took moments, Shane let them go ahead and salvage what they could.

Meanwhile he called Red, letting her know the 'kidnapping' had gone as planned, mostly. She was very upset, having heard X's grunt and the sound of him hitting the boat's deck. Shane winced when he told her the pirates had knocked X unconscious.

She had not reacted as he expected; no cry of distress or shocked gasp. Instead there had only been a moment's silence. When he had quietly called, "Red, you there? Are you okay?" into the phone, he heard her breathe out harshly.

She answered just as quietly. "They will pay for that. You on your way back?" When the big SEAL affirmed he was, she responded, "Good. When we've located their base and go after X, I'm going with you. The one that hurt him is mine."

The cold viciousness of her tone made him shudder. He swallowed and signed off. Up until just now, hearing her tone, he'd had trouble equating the sweet, lovable little redhead he knew with the expert assassin he also knew she was. He never wanted that woman mad at him.

Even though he had seen her kill, quickly and efficiently when they were in Panama. But, that had been a job; he'd ended a few of the drug lord's guards, too. Right along side her. This was different; personal. He hoped she could keep it together.


	16. Chapter 19

19~~~~~~

Xander moaned softly. His head was pounding and he felt nauseous. He attempted to move, then realized his hands were bound behind his back. He was lying on some empty sacking material, apparently in the hold of the ship from the darkness and stench of fish. He licked his lips, trying to moisten his dry mouth, wondering how long he'd been unconscious.

He could tell from the engine sound and the way the boat was smacking the swells they were moving pretty damned fast. Still on open ocean; the ship must be making at least 30 knots. They seemed to be headed west-northwest, the rolling motion of the boat telling him they were going with the current, which was basically east to west in this part of the Pacific.

He wished he was on deck; he might be able to tell which island group they were headed for. Sighing, he figured he'd find out soon enough. He only hoped they were taking him to the same place where they might be holding any other captives... like Bobby and whatshername.

The boat was slowing and Xander heard the crew moving about above. He steeled himself for what he knew would be more unpleasantness. These guys were not gonna fool around; he had to be real careful now or he was going to get shot. Had to try and keep his famous temper in check.

The pirates called back and forth, sounding relaxed and happy. Like they were coming home. Or at least somewhere they felt safe. X listened carefully, trying to catch something he could understand. So far, no English or anything he could make sense of.

He thought he might have heard some French; he was gonna have to get Red to teach him. Now he sensed they were in calmer water, there was no more rocking motion and the engines had powered down to a gentle rumble.

Finally, he heard someone coming down to where he lay. Keeping his eyes closed, he heard booted feet moving closer. He grunted and moaned when he was prodded none too gently. He turned his head, squinting and cracked one eye at his captor.

Not the friendliest-looking guy he'd ever seen, the man wore a cartridge belt like a necklace. He had a blue camo-looking denim shirt on under a faded-jeans material vest. His cargo pants were rolled half-way up his calves and he was barefoot.

He motioned X up, by jerking his head to the side, and grinned when the big athlete shook his head and groaned. It showed off a couple of gold-capped teeth in an evil smile. He didn't offer any assistance to Xander either, letting him struggle to his feet by himself.

Prodded forward by the rifle butt, X leaned into the rail along the ladder to the deck to balance himself as he climbed out. He took it slow, playing up the head injury, making it seem like he was still disoriented. His escort didn't appreciated it and jabbed him in the kidneys to hurry him.

"A'ight! A'ight, man! Take it easy. 'M goin' fast as I can." He complained. X glanced back over one shoulder, frowning and squinting. The sun was pretty bright after spending a few hours in the hold and he did have a ferocious headache. Looked to be early afternoon, so he'd been in the hold at least a full day.

He was surprised to see the boat anchored in the lagoon of a large atoll. He didn't recognise it at all. Where the hell was he?

He could see a large group of armed men on the shore and some rather dilapidated buildings behind them. Had these guys actually brought him to their base of operations or was this just a local hideout? His biggest concern was whether or not Bobby and his girlfriend were here, too.

X staggered across the deck and was pushed to climb down an exterior ladder into a Zodiac type rubber boat that then transferred him to the shore. He splashed through knee-deep bath-warm water up to the pink sand beach and fell to his knees in the hot sand. Two of his captors growled unhappily and caught him under the arms, dragging him up the beach to one of the buildings.

They tossed him inside and slammed the door shut. X rolled over and just breathed for a couple of minutes. He was still a bit nauseated and the rough treatment hadn't helped his head any, either. He opened his eyes at a soft scuffling sound, hoping it wasn't rats.

Squinting in the gloom of the interior, he could make out several large huddled shapes against the far wall. People? When he heard a voice come out of one, he almost cried in surprise and joy. It was Bobby.

"Hey, man! You okay, dude?" Xander grinned wide as he turned his head to look more closely at his friend. He could see his buddy's shock; "Holy, fuck! X, is that you?"

"Yeah. What the hell did you get yourself mixed up in, brah?" X scrooched around until he could sit up facing Bobby. "Man, you look like shit. What happened?"

"I have no fuckin' clue, dude. One minute I'm paddling to catch a wave, the next, some guy is yanking me outta the water by my hair. They hit me on the head and I woke up tied up in the hold of some stinking boat." At X's nod of understanding, he added, "You, too, huh?"

"Sorta. I fucked up my hang glider stunt. Overshot the lagoon. Theses pricks actually shot me outta th' air. Ruined a perfectly good sail. An' I don't know what happened to my board, either." He sounded really mournful.

"Oh, shit, man! That really sucks!" Bobby commiserated.

"So whadda these jerks want, anyway?"

The blonde surfer shrugged. "Far as I can figure out, they seem to want money for Titian. I think I'm only still alive t' keep her quiet." He dropped his head to stare at his lap. "They shot Vetea and his crew. I saw it from the water. Never even gave 'em a chance. Just mowed 'em down and left."

"Fuck, that's some serious shit. We gotta find some way outta here." X had struggled to his feet and was walking the perimeter of the small building.

"There ain't no way out, brah. Even if we got loose, there's nowhere to go. We're on a fuckin' island in the middle of fuckin' nowhere." Bobby sounded completely defeated.

X had made a complete circuit of the shack by now and stood over the other inhabitant. The girl was breathing, but he couldn't tell if she was sleeping or unconscious. He looked over at his friend. "She okay? Looks a little worse for wear, dude."

Bobby sighed and nodded. "Yeah, well. It took her a while to figure out she needed t' keep her big mouth shut. They beat the crap outta her... I think... I'm afraid they mighta raped her, too."

He stared at X, pain and guilt plain on his face. "I couldn't do anything! I tried, man! I really did.  
>They kicked my ribs in and knocked some teeth loose. I woke up here and she ain't come to yet. I'm worried they mighta drugged her or somethin'."<p>

Xander knelt down next to the girl. She had a black eye and there were marks on her arms and neck; bruises that looked like fingerprints. Her clothes were torn, but still mostly intact. It appeared like somebody had hit her over the head, too. There was dried blood in her hair. She was breathing okay, deep and even, so he would worry about waking her later, if need be.

He sighed. What a fucked up mess. He hoped it didn't take Shane too long to gather the troops and get here. He had a feeling this wouldn't end well otherwise. He decided it would be smarter to not say anything about that to Bobby just yet. He had no idea who might be listening and if they understood English.

"You got any clue where we are, Bobby?" He murmured with his head tucked. He needed to be quiet, but also wanted to be sure Red could hear him. Now she would know both his friend and the girl were alive. "Fuckin' shame about Vetea and the guys. Did they sink his boat or just leave it?"

"I think they just left it. I really don't know, brah. I was out for a while."

"I hear ya. Me, too. I think it was yesterday, but I wouldn't swear to it." X sighed. "They feeding us, at least?"

Bobby nodded. "Yeah. Once or twice a day. They do bring us water more often. At least, since T's been behaving, they have."

"Who the hell is she?" X asked. "What do they think they'll get for her?"

"Some Senator's kid. Johnson? She said they made her call. They want two million for her. Gave her dad a week. That was at least four days ago. He's supposed to fly the money to Pago Pago. They'll give him instructions on where to meet when he gets there."

"Is he gonna do it?" Xander wondered if the man would cave or be stupid and involve the US authorities.

"Hell if I know. She said he's a real hard ass. No dove, for sure." Bobby shook his head. So, he'd definitely try and tough it out. Fuck. Made his job tougher. He had less than three days to get them all out of here.


	17. Chapter 20

20~~~~~~

Unbeknownst to Xander, he had been moved out of range of the small throat mike. Red was going crazy with worry, but she managed to keep up a calm exterior. She didn't want Shane to lose his focus and that should be on X, not her. She still had the transponders to follow, so at least they knew where he'd been taken.

Shane's team had been called up and they would arrive tomorrow. They also would have backup from Anderson on Guam. The AWAK had spotted a small boat and a larger one both headed west toward the Cook Islands. And they noted the abandoned surf chaser, now adrift on the current.

The Navy was hesitant in putting any personnel on that boat as it was not American and was in international waters. Shane argued that there might be survivors and some of them could be American. He finally convinced them to do a flyby and if they saw anyone, to drop a couple of divers by the boat.

Arenui called several times, but Red couldn't give him any information, other than his cousin's boat had been spotted. She sighed, unhappy about having to keep putting the friendly islander off. If not for him, this thing would never have come together at all.

Shane looked up at her sigh. "Are, again?" He'd been busy all afternoon, coordinating with both his team, the Naval base on Guam and his commander back at Coronado. He and Red would fly back to American Samoa where they would pick up Shane's guys and all their equipment and transportation.

But that wasn't until tomorrow. Tonight, they were on their own. He wasn't sure if he should be pleased or not. He wanted to rest up, and he had more than an inkling Red would want to be distracted. He knew her preferred method... and it would wear him out.

"You want to eat something, Sweetie?" She had walked up behind him and slid her arms around his neck, kissing his temple. He was ensconced at the small table in the sitting area of her suite, surrounded by both laptops and cell phones and a pistol he was currently cleaning. They had both decided it made no sense for him to stay in Xander's villa.

"I could use a drink. I'm so tense. I don't get nervous like this." Red frowned and sighed.

Shane pulled her around and into his lap. "You don't usually rescue someone you love, either. It's hard to keep focused when half your mind is worrying about what might happen to them. I'm surprised you're holding it together at all. We both know X wouldn't, if it were you. And, truthfully... I don't know if I could, either." He gave her a wry little grin and smoothed her hair away from her face.

With a little moan, she collapsed against his chest. "I'm so frightened, Shane. They've hurt him. I heard it over the mike before it went out of range. And the GPS units aren't moving any more. I don't know what that means, but it's scaring me. What if he's... he's..." she hiccuped and put her hand over her mouth.

The big SEAL hugged her closer. "Shh, shh, baby. Don't think like that. It'll only make it worse. We'll get him back. I'll make sure."

Red leaned back in his arms. Staring deep into his eyes, she took a deep breath. "You promise me. If he is... gone, you find the one that did it and you take him out if I'm not there." When he frowned, about to protest, she placed a hand on each side of his face. "Promise me!"

"Okay, Beautiful. You know I'd do anything for you." His big hands were softly moving over her back and shoulders, soothing, stroking, calming her.

Her breath hitched again and she leaned in and kissed him. "I love you, Shane. I love X, too; but I want you to know... I love you just as much. Do you understand? It's different, the way I feel about each of you, but just as strong. I... I need you both."

She pulled herself away and stood. Walking over to the French doors to her balcony, she wrapped her arms around herself. She stood, staring blankly out at the lagoon, but the tropical beauty was obviously lost on her. "I've tried to not get too close to you. Just keep it light and fun."

He made a pained sound and she turned to look at him. "I don't want you hurt, Shane. Especially, I don't want to be the one who hurts you. You're too good. Too caring, so sweet."

Tears were running down her cheeks now and he went to her. "I've made you love me, too, haven't I? I didn't mean to." She sobbed.

"You didn't make me do anything I didn't want to do. You're a beautiful, strong, talented woman with the biggest heart I've ever known. Who wouldn't love you?" He tipped her chin up to look at him.

Smiling down into her sparkling emerald orbs, he shook his head. "You're just all bent up 'cause you're worried. He'll be fine. I'll be fine. C'mon. I know what you need."

Shane picked her up around the hips and carried her into the bedroom. He placed her in the middle of her bed and dropped the netting. He crawled up beside her and pulled off his t-shirt, kicked off his boots and lay back. Tapping himself on the chest he said, "Come here. Just lie down and relax for a bit. Listen to my heart and stop thinking so much."

Red stared at him blankly for a moment, then did as he asked. She placed her ear over his heart and he wrapped an arm over her. "Now, close your eyes and just breathe. Don't think about anything except that. Breathe and listen." His hand slowly, softly passed over her back from shoulder to hip and back.

After several minutes she did feel calmer. She sighed and snuggled closer, letting her fingertips meander over the muscles of his chest and belly. "Shane?"

"Mmm?"

Red smiled at the deep rumble. It vibrated through his chest and right into her. Sounded like he was half asleep. "It's getting late. We're going to miss dinner."

"S'okay. We got snacks in the fridge." He mumbled quietly.

"Don't wanna move, huh?"

"Nnn, nnm." He sighed. "Unless you still want that drink?"

"No. All I want right now is you."

He chuckled, "You always want that. Never ran into two hornier people than you and Cage."

Red lifted herself off his chest. "That's not what I meant. I want you. Even if it means just lying beside you and feeling your arms around me. The warmth of your body and the way you smell. You make me feel soft and comfortable, and so very safe."

His face got a funny expression on it. He was kind of smiling with his brows all scrunched up. And that adorable little 'm' was in the middle of his forehead. Like he was pleased and confused at the same time. He swallowed and took a deep breath.

"I want to make love with you, Red. Can I?"

"Of course, silly. You don't have to ask." she smiled back.

"No, I mean really make love... not just fuck you senseless."

"Oh, Shane! Yes, sweetie. Please. I would really love that." She flung her arms around his neck and kissed his face all over. Quick, soft, little butterfly kisses. Kisses that soon trailed down his throat and over his chest.

Shane grasped her upper arms and gently lifted her off himself. He unbuttoned the silky blouse she wore and slowly pushed it down over her arms. His eyes wandered over her, taking in her milky complexion, her full breasts still covered in the forest green lacy bra. He sighed and smiled while reaching around her back and unfastening it.

One hand came back up and cupped her cheek. He leaned in and kissed the tip of her nose, breathed in her hair and then placed his mouth softly over hers. Just pressing gently for a moment before allowing his lips to separate and running his tongue over her lips.

When she responded, opening her mouth to him, he backed off for a moment. Then grinned and took her mouth again, this time as if he was starving and she was ambrosia. His arms locked around her and he gasped into her mouth. Sucking at her lips and tongue, thrusting his own into her, tasting the sweetness of her; he took her breath away.

They fell onto the sheets, side by side, breathing fast now. Red could feel the waves of heat coming off him as his passion rose. He was hard against her belly and she pushed her hips against him. She wormed a hand between them, fumbling at his waist, trying to get at him.

"Mmm, nnn. Not yet." He pushed her away.

"I need to feel you close, Shane. Please, undress me. I want your body on mine." She breathed in his ear. Her breath moving over his skin made him shiver and he shucked his pants quickly.

Then he moved to her. Hands holding her shoulders, he kissed her again and then trailed soft, moist kisses down her throat and over her collarbones. His hands slid down her arms, taking the straps of her bra with them.

Red watched his eyes gleam when he exposed her breasts and he licked his lips. She moved her hands from his shoulders up to his cheeks. His eyes came back up to hers and she smiled. "Please." She whispered.

Shane's chocolate eyes grew darker with desire. He couldn't wait to taste those honey-sweet warm globes. With a faint moan, he dropped his head to first one then the other, kissing, sucking softly and laving the tender flesh with his tongue.

Red arched up into his caresses, moaning in pleasure. Her flesh tightened and pebbled under his touch. Her nipples swelled and grew into hard peaks as he continued to lick and suckle at them. Whichever nipple was not in his hot mouth, he held between thumb and forefinger, rolling it and gently pinching.

She was writhing and gasping for air already, her moistened femininity craving him. His tongue was doing unbelievable things to her. He kept rubbing the underside of her nipples and aureolae as he sucked. It seemed like there was an electric wire between her breasts and core. Every stroke of Shane's tongue sent a shock through her, winding that wire tighter and tighter.

She moaned and shivered, crying out incoherently. She wanted, needed... something... anything to end this sweet torture. "Shane! Oh, God, please... Shane! I wanna... I need … aah, ahh... oh, my God!" Her voice rose and sharpened into a wail of frustration and ecstasy.

He slipped a hand between them, massaging over her mound through her skirt and panties. He could actually smell how wet she was already. When he touched her, she was on fire, heat pouring off her. It made his belly muscles clench and his cock twitched. He wanted that heat surrounding him.

The big man pulled her skirt up and then grabbed a handful of silk and just tore it away. Red's eyes flew open at the sound of ripping fabric. "Oh, yeah. That's my man!" She gasped. She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs over his back, pulling her self close.

"Hang on," He rumbled and lifted himself up to his hands and knees. He slid them into the center of the bed and came back down between her thighs. He was hot and hard against her and she wriggled her butt, trying to get him aimed right.

"Easy, baby. Relax. I'll get there." He crooned against her neck. He was kissing and sucking the side of her throat, pressing his hips against her and rocking in little circles.

"Now, Shane! Please! I need to feel you in me, now!" Red pushed up into him, squeezing her legs around him. Her heels dug into the top of his ass as she lifted her hips. Her hands held his ribs and he felt her nails sink into his flesh.

The big SEAL grunted softly from the scratching, but he didn't really mind. It pleased him to know he could make her lose control so quickly. Strangely, the sting actually felt, not pleasant, but exciting to him right now. He felt himself grow harder, his balls swelling and his lower back tightened in anticipation.

'Yeah, baby... now." He whispered low. He cocked his hips a little more and slid home in one long, slow, steady thrust. "Oh, fuck, yeah." It was almost torn out of his throat. "You are so hot and so tight." He grinned down at the woman tucked under him.

"Oh, sweet Jesus, Red! Don't do that!" She was wriggling and using her interior muscles to clench on him. "You're gonna make me come and it's too soon."

She smiled serenely up at her lover. Then giggled, mischievously. "You want me to play starfish, then?"

"Huh?" Shane's mind was all about sensation at the moment, not conversation. When he realized what she'd said, and that she was teasing, Red had already relaxed her hold on him. She let her legs fall to the sides and flopped her arms straight out, exactly like a starfish and limp.

"Hell, no! Just don't squeeze me so hard. You know, inside, the way you do. It makes me crazy and I can't hold off."

"Silly boy. I don't want you to. I love watching you come."

"No. Ladies first. I..."

"Shane, sweetie. You can make me come over and over. Lots of different ways. You know that. And, besides, by the time I need a rest... well, you should be recovered enough to go again." She purred up at him, hands sliding all over, never still, tickling his ribs, running the tips of her nails over his back, shoulders, chest. She tweaked his nipples, grinning and he gasped.

Red deliberately twitched her interior muscles again, as she tucked her legs over the small of his back. "Come on, baby. Give me everything you got. I want all of you."

He just moaned, dropped his face onto her shoulder and began to move. Rocking over her, hard and fast, now, he gave his hips a little tuck at the end of each stroke that lifted into her and hit that spot that made her see stars. "Oh, God, Shane! Yes! Just like that."

In only a few more thrusts, Red felt him shudder and he gave that long, low moan she loved to hear. All rhythm lost, his body jerked spasmodically and he filled her with hot, thick fluid. He remained kneeling over her, his head on her shoulder, sweat running down his sides and off his face as he tried to catch his breath.

Finally, his heart slowed enough that she could feel separate beats and he pulled out and flopped onto his back. "Shit, Beautiful. You're gonna... give me... heart failure... one day." he was still gasping for air. She just chuckled and rolled onto her side, trailing her fingers across him, making little designs in the moisture that sheened his skin.

"I can think of other things I'd rather do." She crooned softly and rose to her knees. Shane's eyes widened when she cupped him with one hand and proceeded to lick him clean. He was so sensitive, he could not lie still. He groaned and jerked, his hips twitching and belly muscles quivering with every stroke of her tongue.

Finally, he couldn't take anymore and he grabbed a handful of long auburn hair and gently tugged her back up. "Stop, Red. God, please stop! I can't... oh, fuck!" When she released him, he actually sighed in relief.

She just grinned at him, chuckling low. "Jesus, woman! You like torturing me?" He added, "But, such sweet torture," when she frowned slightly. Suddenly sitting up and rolling over her, he smiled evilly. "Now, it's my turn." He slid down the bed until he was lying between her thighs. Hands grabbing her under the knees, he spread her wide and pushed until she was nearly folded in half.

He hooked her knees over his shoulders and scooted himself forward so his knees were against her lower back. He was tall enough that the position lifted her butt right off the bed. Only her head, shoulders and very upper back were still touching the mattress. It made her completely helpless.

Holding her around her hips, he looked at her startled face and slowly licked his lips. "Sha..ane?"  
>She quavered, uncertainly.<p>

He laughed at her expression. "Payback's a bitch, ain't it?" Then he proceeded to drive her to ecstasy and beyond, until she couldn't see, couldn't hear herself screaming, couldn't breathe. He didn't stop eating at her until she passed out after one writhing, shuddering climax.

Red was still twitching with aftershocks when she came to on a long, shaky breath. "Oh, my God, Shane! I don't thin... ahhh, aiyeee!" He had leaned down and just blew on her, her legs were still splayed wide from when he'd lowered her back to the bed. She came again, shivering uncontrollably.

He lay beside her and placed his hand over her, cupping her mound. She squealed in reaction. "You had enough, baby? 'Cause I'm not done."

Her eyes got round and she glanced down to see him hard, again. "Oh, Lord have mercy!" she wailed. He was already suckling at her breasts, massaging the opposite breast, rubbing the nipple with his thumb. She shivered with the pulse of heat it brought to her groin and her breath hitched.

Red wrapped her arms around him, stroking over the back of his head and down his neck out to his shoulders and over his upper arms. She loved the feel of his muscles, the hard strength of him that was held so tightly under control.

He trembled under her caress and slid back up to take her mouth again. "God, I love you, woman. I love the way you make me crazy and I love driving you over the edge." He stared deep into her eyes. "And I love the way you care about people. Gibbons said you were cold, heartless. He couldn't be more wrong. You're anything but cold. I hope X knows how lucky he is."

Before she could say anything, Shane slid himself back inside her heated core and sighed, his eyes closing in pleasure. He moved slow this time, long steady strokes that brought her trembling to the edge, but not quite allowing her to peak. She begged him repeatedly for release, but he refused to let her go, until she was writhing and gasping, a continuous litany of soft cries and "please, oh God, Shane, please!"

Rumbling a deep, quiet growl and suddenly holding her tight and firm, he sped up until he was pounding into her, grunting with every stroke. Red arched and screamed out her climax, her nails raking long lines down his back. It brought him over the edge, too, and he moaned loudly, his back clenching and whole body shuddering with the strength of his orgasm.

Everything vanished in the white haze of ecstasy, even the need to breathe, for several moments. Both came back to earth together, with opposite reactions. He laughed in delight and she cried tears of joy, hiccuping in relief and satisfied desire.

Shane flopped onto his back and pulled her against his side, while his chest heaved. He was drenched in sweat, completely exhausted and never felt happier in his life. Red, too was soaked, with her own perspiration and his.

She sighed, relaxed and sated. Snuggled in under his arm, she threw hers over his belly and fell asleep. He smiled down at the top of her head and closed his own eyes. Intending to rest for a few minutes only, it was the morning birds singing that finally woke him. Neither had moved all night.


	18. Chapter 21

21******

Frank, Sam and Mike were taking a breather between flights. They were to meet their team leader later today and proceed from there to the extraction point. They had a lot of equipment to transfer when they got to Samoa, so they were resting now. The choppers they'd use would land and refuel while being loaded with all the stuff Shane had told them to bring.

Frank had spoken to Shane before they left Hawaii and had an idea of what they were headed into. South Seas pirates were no joke. And if they had American hostages, they would have to be taken out quickly before they had time to murder their captives.

Shane had told them one might be the crazy NSA agent they'd worked with last year. Frank was curious how he'd gotten involved. He knew about the senator's daughter, but couldn't figure her relationship to X. And this wasn't the kind of op the NSA got involved in; unless there was something else going on that they hadn't been told. Wouldn't be the first time.

Sam had expressed curiosity, too. But his interest was focused on Cage's partner from last year. Frank almost hoped the little redheaded assassin wasn't involved. She had messed with the boss's head and he was afraid it might affect his concentration.

Not that he didn't like her, he did. Couldn't help himself. She was gorgeous and intelligent, tough and could still be soft and feminine, even when she was being 'one of the boys'. He knew her profession required a certain ability to maintain detachment when necessary; so he could give her the benefit when it came to her attitude toward sex, he just hoped she was aware of what she could do to Shane. He'd have the boss's back, he always did; but he didn't want that to be his prime concern, before the mission.

X woke early, groaned and rolled onto his side. His shoulders and arms ached, still bound behind him. He flexed his hands and fingers, they had gone numb and his wrists were chafed raw. He'd given up on trying to loosen the rope that held his arms behind his back when Bobby told him he was bleeding.

His mouth was dry, felt like his tongue was sticking to the roof, and his lips were beginning to crack. He had a headache, too. Between the heat, lack of water and the blow from the rifle butt, it was pounding this morning. The only plus was the dimness of the shack he was being kept in.

He was stiff and cold from sleeping on the dirt floor, but he knew it would heat up soon. He was just glad the place was as flimsy as it was; the cracks between the wall partitions allowed the breeze to flow through and kept it from becoming an oven.

The palm frond roof kept the sun out and most of the daily shower, too, though it did leak in spots. Not that he cared. It gave them a chance at an extra few drops of water.

Bobby's girl was awake now and pretty subdued. She had learned the hard way not to annoy their captors from the looks of her. Bruised all over, she had a pretty good shiner and a bloodied lump on the back of her head. She denied being raped; said they had threatened to, but nobody followed through when she'd agreed to call her father.

She said she had not told their captors the truth of the old man's reply. He had told her he would do everything in his power to see her freed, but had not agreed to pay the ransom. She wasn't surprised, said he was a real hardliner when it came to dealing with terrorists.

Titian started to sob when she explained that he didn't seem to understand these guys were profiteers, not revolutionaries of some kind. She was afraid they were all going to die out here and the pirates had promised to abuse her if the money didn't come.

While Bobby cuddled up next to her, trying to calm and quiet her, X was thinking. Trying to figure some way to get the pirates to hold off for another day or two. Maybe if he could find out if they had a bank account somewhere, he could convince them he could get them the extra cash for her.

But it would take him time to liquidate some of his assets. He was seriously concerned they would not wait; they seemed to have no patience at all. He hoped Shane and the troops showed up soon.


	19. Chapter 22

22******

Shane woke Red and they showered together. She insisted, wanting to touch him for as long as possible. So he stood under the spray, holding himself in tight control while she soaped him all over, using her hands rather than a washcloth.

He was almost gritting his teeth by the time she finished. She left his genitals for last and went to her knees in front of him while massaging his cock and balls. He'd glanced down once, to see her tongue swipe over her lips as she stroked him and it almost undid him. He huffed out a sharp breath and resolutely stared at the tiled wall.

Her felt her press a soft kiss to his abdomen and gasped. Quickly taking hold of her shoulders, he pulled her to her feet. "You gotta stop, baby. You're distracting me too much. I gotta keep my head straight, now. You can have me as much as you want after this is over. But, for now, you gotta let me be."

Red sighed, disappointed, but she understood. He needed to concentrate on the mission. Saving the girl and her other lover. "Okay, Sweetie. I'll be good. One kiss?" She stretched up, sliding her hands up the front of his body to wrap them around his neck.

It pressed her breasts into his chest and he groaned. But he did lower his mouth to hers and kissed her deeply. Shaking his head, he held her away. "Damn! You're like a freakin' drug. And I'm addicted."

He grinned at her and turned off the water, stepping out and handing her a towel. He wrapped another around his waist and left the bathroom. If he stayed near her, he was gonna give in and have her again. And they didn't have the time. He wanted to be on the first flight this morning.

By the time Red had finished drying and putting up her hair, Shane was dressed and on the satellite phone with his team. A breakfast tray sat beside him with a carafe of coffee and fresh fruit. She wandered into the main room, smiled when she saw him, but left him be, only grabbing a cup of coffee.

She dressed in a pair of comfortable cotton slacks and a loose blouse, both in shades of camel. Nothing to distract, she hoped. She added her 'celebrity' shades and her large sun hat and started collecting her own gear. Several small, but deadly blades, one on her left thigh, another on her right ankle, one strapped to her forearm and her favourites, her slender stilettos, stuck through the hat and into her hair.

Her pistol went in her bag along with an extra clip. Red walked to the floor length mirror hung on the inside of the bathroom door and checked her weapons. All neatly hidden, she looked like a typical tourist. She sighed; she was ready.

When she turned to Shane, he was standing by the table, everything packed into a small backpack except her laptop, which he handed to her as they went through the door. Mind obviously on the coming mission, his face was somber and they did not speak in the elevator, nor on the trip to the airport.

He got them both settled, stowing the laptops and the backpack under their seats. Then he reached over and took Red's hand away from her. She'd had it up to her mouth, nibbling on her fingertips.

When she looked at him, he just smiled and kissed her palm. But he didn't release her hand, holding it loosely so she could pull it back if she wished. She sighed and let her head fall onto his shoulder. Shane kissed the top of her head and watched as she relaxed and fell back to sleep. Good; she needed the rest and he had things to do. He reached under the seat and pulled his laptop out.

Red woke as they began their descent, yawning and stretching. It caused the top of her blouse to gape open and her companion sighed. She glanced up and saw him looking down, so to tease she fluttered her lids and demurely covered her chest with a hand. He chuckled and grinned at her. It broke the tension as she had planned.

They collected their gear and deplaned with the other passengers, but rather than head for customs, they went directly to the security counter. Shane passed over his ID and said they needed a ride to the naval base ASAP. "You and the lady, sir?" The security chief questioned.

His phone rang and he held up a hand as he answered it. The pair watched his brows go up and he nodded several times, saying, "Yes, yes, I understand. Right away." He looked up at Shane and told him to please follow. "There's a military transport waiting for you; both of you."

He ushered them through the terminal and out into bright sunshine. There was indeed a Jeep sitting there and Sam, smiling goofily, was behind the wheel. Red gave a little chirp of pleased surprise and ran to hug him. Shane threw their gear in the back and jumped into the seat beside it.

After reporting that the team was ready and standing by, the choppers loaded and refueling, Sam left his leader to his own thoughts. He was busy chatting with Red and they filled each other in on the inconsequentials of each other's lives.

Sam laughed when he heard that X had been literally shot out of the air. He explained when Red looked at him like he was insane. "Second time his crazy stunt went wrong through no fault of his. And he lost the glider this time. He must be livid."

She blinked, then realized he was trying in his own wacky way to cheer her up. She smiled softly. "Yes, I can imagine he is. With a little shrug, she added, "I would not want to be the one that fired on him, if he ever finds out. For sure; he likes to get even."

Sobered by her comment, Sam nodded. "Good to know." He turned in at the gate to the base with only a wave at the men manning the guardhouse. Driving directly to the airstrip, he yelled over his shoulder at Shane, "Everything's aboard and ready to go. Frank has the latest scans from the AWAC. They used infrared this last time. He'll go over them with you when we're in the air."

They pulled up by the two helicopters, and the cargo door to the nearest slid open. Frank leaned out and gave Red a hand in, Mike caught her backpack as she tossed it in. She gave each one a quick hug and found a spot to sit.

Shane tossed in his own and leaped aboard. He took the headset a crewman handed him and made a twirling motion with his hand, first finger extended upward. The pilot, who had been watching them board, simply turned around and lifted the bird into the air. The second chopper followed only seconds behind them.

Frank moved forward to sit beside their pilot leaving Shane and Red on one side of the cargo compartment, Sam and big Mike on the other with the two crewmen. Red grinned at the younger SEALs, but made no attempt to talk over the noise of the rotors. They both smiled back at her.

She made a motion to Mike, pointing at her left ring finger and giving him a thumb's up. He smiled wider and actually blushed, though it wasn't obvious on his dark complexion. Sam socked him in the shoulder, laughing. When she looked at him with a raised brow, he waved both hands back and forth, shaking his head as if to say 'no way!'

He pointed to her and she just smiled enigmatically. And took Shane's hand, to mess with their heads a little. He hadn't been paying attention, so he smiled down at her. When he looked across the cargo bay and saw the very speculative looks on his team's faces, his head snapped back to her. She smiled innocently at him and patted his cheek.

He made a face and frowned, but she could see he wasn't really angry. He knew how much she liked to tease. He kinda wished she hadn't, though. Everybody needed to stay sharp now.

Red was surprised when the chopper circled over a long, narrow atoll and settled to the sand on a small cay, like a tail, off one end. It was separate from the rest of the atoll, only connected by a long reef.

"Where are we?" She yelled at Shane. "Toku Cay." He waved toward the rest of the atoll, "That's Pukapuka, one of the Cooks. We'll wait here until dark. They won't expect us from this direction. Stay in the shade." He pointed at the ground beside the helicopter. The engines had just shut down, the rotors whining to a slow stop.

Sam leaped out with a tarp, unfolded it, weighed the corners with handfuls of sand and gallantly waved her to it with a bow. She curtseyed her thanks, grinning as wide as he and crawled on, settling herself with a laptop and her satellite phone near at hand.

She spent the next several hours watching the team unload and set up their equipment. They inflated several Zodiacs and loaded aboard odd-looking fan-like things that had handles on one end. All their dive gear came next, scuba tanks, wetsuits, fins, masks and tool belts for all their gadgets. Last and loaded into the shade of the second chopper were the weapons.

She hadn't realized at first they were going to have company on this mission. The second chopper was loaded with more soldiers, she wasn't sure if they were Navy or Marines, but they were a taciturn bunch. They silently unloaded their own equipment and helped with the SEALs'.

She was watching Shane, standing in the sun in just shorts, giving some kind of instructions to the head of the second group. Already glistening with sweat, both of them had their heads bent over a map. A hand appeared in her field of vision and she glanced up to see one of the others offering her a bottle of water. She smiled, thanking him and got a simple nod in answer.

Most of the guys had stripped down to only pants or tanks and shorts by the time the sun had begun to set. And they had also taken several dips in the waves, too. Red had given up earlier. She'd tried tying her shirt short and rolling up her pants legs, but it was just too hot. Finally, she just said the hell with it, stripped to her undies and plunged into the ocean. The water was warm, but it was a lot cooler than even sitting in the shade.

She was not surprised to find herself the center of attention when she emerged. It amused her to see how the men looked, recognised the weapons strapped to her arm and legs and suddenly found something else to occupy them.

Everyone except Shane. He just stared, shook his head and grinned. So she blew him a kiss. Everybody turned to him and he raised his brows as if to say, "What?" They all went back to work to the sound of Red's tinkling laughter.

They ate and then rested until the sun went down. Shane came over and sat by her. He had his laptop and showed her the latest scans. She could see numerous red dots scattered over the atoll. Most were concentrated on a small island on the eastern side, but there were some that appeared to be in the middle of the lagoon and some on another larger island to the north.

The most important ones to them were the three off to one side, but close together. Shane overlay a map of the buildings and boats from an earlier pass so she could see the three were alone, inside a small shack.

"I'm fairly sure those are our targets. They haven't moved from the building since yesterday, though occasionally one of the people outside goes in and out." He smiled softly at his companion. "They're all moving around inside, so they seem to be all okay."

He checked his watch and nodded to himself. "We're gonna grab a bite and rest for an hour. It will be dusk by then and time to launch the Zodiacs. You'll have the pilots to keep you company until we're ready to be picked up or make it back here. You gonna be okay with that?"

She stared at him, stunned. "What do you mean 'pilot's for company'? You think you're leaving me here?"

Shane stared right back. "I most certainly am. You're not trained for this kind of op. I don't plan on losing a team member 'cause he's watching you. Or having you get hurt, either. Or X doing something stupid, 'cause he thinks he has to make up for last year. And I do need somebody to coordinate the teams while I'm in the water. So you're staying."

He took a deep breath, tensed up to argue with her. Looking at his fierce expression, she realized there would be no changing his mind... and he was the expert. With a frustrated sigh, she gave in. "Okay, Sweetie. You know best."

Shane just looked at her, mouth open, and shook his head. He didn't believe what he'd just heard. "Would you mind repeating that?" He asked, puzzled. Sure she had something up her sleeve.

"I said, you know best. I will listen and do as you say." She dropped her head and glanced up from under those thick, auburn lashes. "This time. But you'd better not get used to it." Her deep green eyes sparkled and she smiled coyly.

Shane studied her for a minute, not sure if she was playing him or not. Deciding to take her at face value, he stood and offered her a hand up. "C'mon. Let's go get something to eat. Before those vultures devour it all."

They wandered over to where the two teams were mingling, some sitting on the sand, others standing, everybody quietly eating and drinking. They all had their heads in the coming mission, concentrating on what they would soon be doing. Red figured it best if she kept silent, too, so as not to disturb anyone.

She sat, munching her protein bar, trail mix and drinking water. While she was, she also watched all the men around her. She was surprised there was very little banter going on. These guys were all so serious, no attempt to ease the growing tension. It was making **her** twitchy.

Meal finished, the second team, (she still wasn't sure what branch), policed the beach, removing all evidence of their occupation from the sand save for right under the helicopters. All the men were now down on the wet sand, gearing up and preparing to launch their rubber boats. The waves would erase their tracks.

Red sighed, disappointed. She had wanted to kiss Shane, but she was afraid to jump off the chopper. The guys probably would not appreciate her messing up their neat clean-up. When he finally looked up, just as his team leaped into their small, black boat, she gave him a sad little wave.

He looked back at his group and surprising her, Frank waved him off, jerking his head toward Red. Shane turned and trotted back up the beach. He grabbed her right off the edge of the chopper and squeezed her, hard. Then he looked down into her eyes and grinned, kissing her soundly.

"Shane?" She questioned, still dangling in his embrace. She looked over his shoulder at the two boatloads of warriors, who were studiously busy with their gear... every single one of them.

"Fuck 'em, if they can't take a joke." He growled. He grinned at her. "I feel better now. Calm and relaxed. Should take you to every drop point. Now, go keep an eye on things for me. 'Til I get back."

He dropped her back on the floor of the chopper bay, her legs dangling as before and ran back to his team. The men pushed the Zodiacs into the surf and in moments were no more than tiny spots of foam that disappeared into the waves.


	20. Chapter 23

23_******_

Red watched on her laptop as the two small craft traveled closer to the island where her lovers' fates would be decided. She kept comparing the two blue blobs that were the ten rescuers to the larger red group on the island and a second group that must be on the pirates' larger vessel. They were across the lagoon from where Shane planned to land, but could join their compatriots in moments.

The SEALS would leave their Zodiac in open ocean and use their underwater gear to enter the lagoon through the break in the reef. They planned on silently disabling the ship at anchor before joining the second group of divers.

They were to round the northern part of the atoll and approach the island from the east. The six divers would enter the water outside the reef and swim in. Shane's team would hit the beach from the lagoon and immediately head for the shack where they believed the prisoners were being held.

If they were correct, they would take the captives over the reef and to the waiting Zodiacs. One would wait for the two teams and the second would head back toward the cay where Red waited. If everything went as planned, one chopper would pick up the extra men from the ocean. There would not be room in the small craft for all ten divers and the pilot.

The six divers from the second team would destroy any weapons cache they found or any stockpile of drugs. They were to either disable or take out as many of the pirates as possible. Though it was important to discover where these marine scavengers were based and who their contacts were, that was not the mission for this group. They planned on notifying all local authorities as soon as the kidnapped people were clear of the atoll.

Cripple this group's ability to travel and communicate, and free the hostages was all they needed to accomplish. Let the governments of these island nations clean out this nest and discover their sources if they could. Nice, neat and politically expedient. Hopefully the locals would be so pleased with ridding themselves of this particular scourge; they would forgive the crazy Americans for coming in without first notifying them and requesting permission for their rescue.

The night wore on, very slowly for Red. All she had been doing for the past several hours was watching the two small boats to be sure they stayed on course. That and checking the pirate enclave to be sure nothing was moving there.

She'd spoken to Shane only once, to make a slight course correction and tell him all was quiet in the pirate compound. He was all business, very brusque and it startled her for a moment. She realized almost immediately it was due to him concentrating on his assignment. He hadn't meant to cut her off. Short transmissions were less likely to be intercepted.

The stress of waiting was wearing on her and she decided to take a short nap. Speaking to the nearest pilot, she asked if he would watch the laptop for a little while so she could close her eyes. She pleaded a headache and he grinned, mentioning that the little red lights did take getting used to.

Red was woken by the pilot gently shaking her shoulder. "Ma'am? You need to wake up. Team Alpha's leader is asking for you." She sat up with a jerk, wide awake. She checked her watch and frowned at the pilot. She'd been asleep for hours. He shrugged and smiled, "Looked like you needed it."

Checking the infrared satellite picture, she noted both teams were in position. She picked up her comlink and spoke softly. "Shane? Everything is quiet. No movement. It's a go. Repeat, you are go."

His answer was a simple, "Alpha roger, Red." And the link clicked silent. Then a repeat in a different voice; "Bravo, roger." Again, the line hissed, empty.

Now all she could do was watch and hope. The blue dots of the two teams moved closer, some crawling slowly through the reef and four others entering the lagoon. Two broke off and went west toward the pirate's anchored ship, while the other two moved slowly toward the eastern islet.

The first Zodiac moved away from the lagoon entrance and toward the eastern end of the atoll. When it was almost in the same position as the second boat, it stopped moving forward. Both pilots would hold just outside the reef and wait to pick up their passengers.

While Red watched and paced the confines of the chopper bay, the two dive teams crawled silently toward their targets. The six divers from Bravo Team wound their way through the heads of coral carefully and emerged onto the ocean side beach of the small, unnamed islet.

Dropping their scuba gear and fins, they lay silently in the sand and readied their weapons. The night was so clear; they almost didn't need the night-vision headsets each wore. In only moments, each had given the ready signal and they began to crawl noiselessly up the beach.

Frank and Mike had peeled off from Shane's team while they were all still underwater. With the older SEAL in the lead, they swam toward the large pirate ship anchored off the main island. They had to go all the way around to the far side to reach the jetty where the ship lay.

They slipped silently under the hull and placed two small electronic devices against the stern. They looked similar to limpet mines but were not, about 8 inches in diameter and dull grey in colour. When the remote control was activated, they would produce a powerful electric charge and fry all the ship's circuitry, leaving it in one piece but helpless. And it was silent.

Shane and Sam had ditched their DPVs atop a large coral head in the lagoon and were now swimming unaided toward the islet. They didn't move too fast, taking time to scout for any wakeful guards. It would also allow the others to catch up before they left the water.

Mike swam back under the ship's hull and gave Frank a thumb's up. His device was set and armed, so the pair of black wet-suited men headed back around the jetty to where the rest of the team waited. They also ditched their DPVs on the coral head and followed their leader toward the far beach.

When all four hit the sands, they paused for a moment to divest themselves of tanks, masks, fins and hide everything in a shallow ditch, wrapped in a tarp. Frank and Sam smeared dark makeup over their faces, the larger two men not needing any. They checked their throat mikes and weapons to be extra sure all was ready.

Shane tapped his mike and waited until he received two quick clicks back. The other team was in position. He tapped twice back; the signal to proceed. He and his team moved over the wet sands, bent low and heading for the scrubby cover that would bring them as close as possible to the shack where they hoped the captives were.

Meanwhile Bravo team was spread out, slowly moving toward the greatest concentration of pirates. They took out each solitary guard as they passed. Stunned with tasers, manacled and duct-taped they were dropped and left wherever taken down. So far the only sounds had been the slight susurus of shifting sand and a quiet thump or two as men hit the ground. _Smooth, _Shane was thinking, _almost too easy._


	21. Chapter 24

_24******_

Xander lay against the wall of the shack on the east side. It was the side that was first touched by the breeze of evening off the ocean, slightly cooler and the driest side of the shack, too. X didn't know what had woken him, but suddenly he was lying there, tense and straining to hear any sound.

Then he realized in surprise that he wasn't hearing anything. Only the soft hiss of waves on the beach. No pirates moving outside. No one chatting, laughing, bitching. Nor the soft sough of someone inhaling his smoke. Not even the scrabbling of the coconut crabs in the brush.

Something was happening... or about to. He rolled silently to his feet and moved to one of the wider cracks in his prison walls. Nothing visible. He tried another. Still couldn't see anything or anybody. That was weird. Where were their guards?

He moved to the door of the shack. Pushing on it gently with his shoulder, he discovered it was still bolted. It squeaked a bit, but not loudly. He still winced; it was so quiet out there. Then he did hear sand being scuffled and a solid thump. Sounded like a body hitting the ground.

He backed away from the door and promptly tripped over Titian. He hit the ground hard with an "ooof!" But she screamed, and then all hell broke loose.

X rolled over and hissed at the girl. "Jesus f'ing Christ, T! Shut up!" She stopped screaming, but continued to whimper in abject terror.

Now Bobby was awake and he whispered, "What the fuck is going on?"

Xander shushed him and muttered quietly. "I have no damn idea. Keep her quiet, will ya?" He scrambled to his feet again, just in time to hear the stutter of automatic weapons firing wildly. Voices began to call back and forth. Pirates, sounding scared, confused and angry.

He moved quickly to one side of the door. If the attack was what he suspected, the first person through that door would be the closest pirate coming to execute them. So he figured to try and slow him down. He motioned to Bobby for them to move back to the far side of the building.

Peeking through a crack, he managed to catch a glimpse of two men moving swiftly over the sand, hunched low and all in black. They weren't headed in his direction though. They hurried toward the larger building where the pirates had their weapons cache.

Scowling, he wondered, was this a rescue or something else? He was deciding whether or not to make some noise when he heard someone rattling the lock and chain on the door. He froze in place, readying himself. Offence or defense? Being who he was, defense was second choice. As soon as the door swung open, he charged.

Slamming shoulder first into the man outlined in the moonlight, he yelled loudly, "Banzai!" Why he chose that, he wasn't sure. But he figured just the noise might startle his opponent for long enough to give him an advantage.

The last thing the SEALS expected was for one of the captives to come barreling out of the shack bellowing at the top of their lungs. Taken totally by surprise, Mike went down with a loud thump. His breath whooshed out in a wheezing grunt and he landed flat on his back.

Even as X rolled off, he realized the guy he had just rammed to the ground was wearing a wetsuit. And somebody else hauled him to his feet, whispering harshly, "Fuck, X! You wanna be rescued or not?" Still behind him, the second black-outfitted man slashed his bonds, releasing his hands for the first time in days.

He couldn't help the quiet moan of pain as his arms swung forward and blood rushed back into his hands. Mike wasn't doing much better, still on his butt and gasping for air. They just looked at each other for a minute, Mike frowning and X guiltily.

Shane stepped around to the front of Xander and smacked him on the back of his head. "Are you nuts? Or just suicidal? What the fuck is wrong with you?" He pulled X back closer to the side of the building. "The others inside okay to move?" He was still whispering.

Xander nodded yes and grinned a bit sheepishly. "Nice ta see ya again, fellas. Sorry, Mikey." The big, black SEAL lifted a hand in acceptance, still wheezing a bit.

Frank and Sam had already slipped inside and X could hear them speaking quietly and somebody shushed Titian before she even got started. The damned kid could get hysterical at the drop of a hat. And she was loud, no sense of self-preservation at all.

Frank reappeared in the doorway. "We might have a problem, Boss. The kids are pretty weak. They'll make it to the beach, but I don't think either of them can swim. It's gonna slow us down if we hafta piggy-back them."

Shane scowled and looked back at X. He was still shaking his arms and flexing his hands, rubbing his wrists and forearms to help his circulation. "I'll be fine. They've be tied up a lot longer than me. And, Shane? Thanks, man."

Shane snorted and motioned to his team, "Gather 'em up and let's go." He glanced over his shoulder at the stop and go firefight taking place at the other end of the compound. "I think we've worn out our welcome here."

X growled at him. "I gotta errand, first. One a those dicks owes me... "

"No." Shane said it quietly, but it was said with steel in his voice. Xander looked at him, startled.

"I promised your woman I'd get you back safe. I'm not gonna let you make me a liar. Now move." And he angrily shoved Xander toward the beach. Surprising them both, he went.

The SEALs moved the captives quickly and quietly to the brush and everyone paused there, kneeling to keep a low profile. While Frank and Sam retrieved their gear, Shane explained in a whisper how they planned to take them over the reef and out to the waiting Zodiacs to safety.

He didn't give the girl a chance to complain when she seemed ready to. Just told her to relax; they would help her as needed. But gave her no other option except to go along. When he turned to Bobby, the surfer simply gave him a thumb's up silently. Shane patted his upper arm and nodded.

Sam tapped his shoulder and he looked at everyone to be sure they were ready. Then, holding his hand with fingers stiff and straight, he motioned everyone forward. They crept as quickly and quietly as they could toward the outer shore.

The SEALs moved as fast as they could to avoid being spotted. Out here on the pink sand they were completely exposed and their black wetsuits made them stand out all the more. Shane jumped when his earpiece crackled and the sweet tones of Red's voice sounded in his ear.

"Hurry, Sweetie. There's a couple of bad guys headed your way. To your right, moving fast." He cursed under his breath and motioned Sam and Frank to to his right flank. Using only hand signals, he let them know two hostiles approached.

Xander realized they were going to have company as soon as Sam had let go of the girl. He grabbed her closer arm and kept moving as fast as he could drag her. It wasn't easy to run in the soft sand and stay hunched over. She kept losing her balance and falling to her knees.

He finally got pissed and just slung her over one shoulder. The water was so close now. He heard the faint whistle of a thrown blade and automatically ducked, saving both their lives. It must have hit its mark; there was a yell and a short stutter of rifle fire. Bullets sprayed sand way too close for comfort.

Risking a quick glance over his shoulder, X saw one gunman down and the other standing still.  
>His rifle coming up to fire on them, he staggered when a black wraith suddenly reared up out of the sand almost at his feet and pushed the weapon's barrel straight up. It's other hand made a short jabbing motion at his throat and he gurgled before he, too, fell.<p>

Xander stood up and ran for his life. In only a few steps, he was splashing through the waves. He couldn't really see well enough to watch and cut his legs on a couple of coral heads, but kept going anyway. He'd take his chances with the sharks, thank you.

Shane turned away from the pirate he'd just put down to check on the others. X and the girl were already in the water, good. The boy was close behind and even as he watched, dove into the surf, Mike right beside him. He turned a little more and his heart almost stopped. One of his guys was down.

In seconds he was there. It was Sam; he'd caught a stray bullet in the thigh. "I'm okay, Boss. Just get me up."

"Fuck! We don't have time for this. C'mon, Frank." Shane caught his wounded man under one arm and Frank took his other side. They ran down the beach, just dragging Sam when he couldn't keep his feet under him.

Splashing into the water, they kept right on going. The younger SEAL never made a sound, even with the salt water flushing his injury. Shane knew it would sting something awful. They'd fix it in the Zodiac.

X and the kids were already aboard, when the SEALs got to the boat. Shane told the pilot he'd have an extra passenger. He just nodded and grabbed the waterproof first aid kit. "How bad?" was the only thing he said. Sam complained, but shut up when Shane gave him a look.

The pilot wrapped his leg quickly and turned the boat into the ocean. They were gone in a flash.

Shane and the rest of his team moved back closer to the reef, but stayed in the water. They could see several other black shapes moving down the beach now. No more noises or muzzle flashes, so he guessed Bravo team was finished, too.

Men started splashing into the sea and swimming in his direction. Behind him he could hear the low growl of the second Zodiac moving in to collect the two teams. Things had gone pretty well, considering.

Both teams were in the water, past the reef and either in or clinging to the sides of the Zodiac as it headed for deeper water when there was a flash and seconds later an almost subsonic _whump._ Everyone turned to look back at the pillar of fire and smoke now rising from the islet they had just left.

They could see a number of dark human-shaped forms scrambling away from the inferno in several directions. They ducked and wove as secondary explosions tossed pieces of building and contents into the air. Several of the divers cheered, but not loudly. Sound carried very well over water.


	22. Chapter 25

22******

Shane woke Red and they showered together. She insisted, wanting to touch him for as long as possible. So he stood under the spray, holding himself in tight control while she soaped him all over, using her hands rather than a washcloth.

He was almost gritting his teeth by the time she finished. She left his genitals for last and went to her knees in front of him while massaging his cock and balls. He'd glanced down once, to see her tongue swipe over her lips as she stroked him and it almost undid him. He huffed out a sharp breath and resolutely stared at the tiled wall.

Her felt her press a soft kiss to his abdomen and gasped. Quickly taking hold of her shoulders, he pulled her to her feet. "You gotta stop, baby. You're distracting me too much. I gotta keep my head straight, now. You can have me as much as you want after this is over. But, for now, you gotta let me be."

Red sighed, disappointed, but she understood. He needed to concentrate on the mission. Saving the girl and her other lover. "Okay, Sweetie. I'll be good. One kiss?" She stretched up, sliding her hands up the front of his body to wrap them around his neck.

It pressed her breasts into his chest and he groaned. But he did lower his mouth to hers and kissed her deeply. Shaking his head, he held her away. "Damn! You're like a freakin' drug. And I'm addicted."

He grinned at her and turned off the water, stepping out and handing her a towel. He wrapped another around his waist and left the bathroom. If he stayed near her, he was gonna give in and have her again. And they didn't have the time. He wanted to be on the first flight this morning.

By the time Red had finished drying and putting up her hair, Shane was dressed and on the satellite phone with his team. A breakfast tray sat beside him with a carafe of coffee and fresh fruit. She wandered into the main room, smiled when she saw him, but left him be, only grabbing a cup of coffee.

She dressed in a pair of comfortable cotton slacks and a loose blouse, both in shades of camel. Nothing to distract, she hoped. She added her 'celebrity' shades and her large sun hat and started collecting her own gear. Several small, but deadly blades, one on her left thigh, another on her right ankle, one strapped to her forearm and her favourites, her slender stilettos, stuck through the hat and into her hair.

Her pistol went in her bag along with an extra clip. Red walked to the floor length mirror hung on the inside of the bathroom door and checked her weapons. All neatly hidden, she looked like a typical tourist. She sighed; she was ready.

When she turned to Shane, he was standing by the table, everything packed into a small backpack except her laptop, which he handed to her as they went through the door. Mind obviously on the coming mission, his face was somber and they did not speak in the elevator, nor on the trip to the airport.

He got them both settled, stowing the laptops and the backpack under their seats. Then he reached over and took Red's hand away from her. She'd had it up to her mouth, nibbling on her fingertips.

When she looked at him, he just smiled and kissed her palm. But he didn't release her hand, holding it loosely so she could pull it back if she wished. She sighed and let her head fall onto his shoulder. Shane kissed the top of her head and watched as she relaxed and fell back to sleep. Good; she needed the rest and he had things to do. He reached under the seat and pulled his laptop out.

Red woke as they began their descent, yawning and stretching. It caused the top of her blouse to gape open and her companion sighed. She glanced up and saw him looking down, so to tease she fluttered her lids and demurely covered her chest with a hand. He chuckled and grinned at her. It broke the tension as she had planned.

They collected their gear and deplaned with the other passengers, but rather than head for customs, they went directly to the security counter. Shane passed over his ID and said they needed a ride to the naval base ASAP. "You and the lady, sir?" The security chief questioned.

His phone rang and he held up a hand as he answered it. The pair watched his brows go up and he nodded several times, saying, "Yes, yes, I understand. Right away." He looked up at Shane and told him to please follow. "There's a military transport waiting for you; both of you."

He ushered them through the terminal and out into bright sunshine. There was indeed a Jeep sitting there and Sam, smiling goofily, was behind the wheel. Red gave a little chirp of pleased surprise and ran to hug him. Shane threw their gear in the back and jumped into the seat beside it.

After reporting that the team was ready and standing by, the choppers loaded and refueling, Sam left his leader to his own thoughts. He was busy chatting with Red and they filled each other in on the inconsequentials of each other's lives.

Sam laughed when he heard that X had been literally shot out of the air. He explained when Red looked at him like he was insane. "Second time his crazy stunt went wrong through no fault of his. And he lost the glider this time. He must be livid."

She blinked, then realized he was trying in his own wacky way to cheer her up. She smiled softly. "Yes, I can imagine he is. With a little shrug, she added, "I would not want to be the one that fired on him, if he ever finds out. For sure; he likes to get even."

Sobered by her comment, Sam nodded. "Good to know." He turned in at the gate to the base with only a wave at the men manning the guardhouse. Driving directly to the airstrip, he yelled over his shoulder at Shane, "Everything's aboard and ready to go. Frank has the latest scans from the AWAC. They used infrared this last time. He'll go over them with you when we're in the air."

They pulled up by the two helicopters, and the cargo door to the nearest slid open. Frank leaned out and gave Red a hand in, Mike caught her backpack as she tossed it in. She gave each one a quick hug and found a spot to sit.

Shane tossed in his own and leaped aboard. He took the headset a crewman handed him and made a twirling motion with his hand, first finger extended upward. The pilot, who had been watching them board, simply turned around and lifted the bird into the air. The second chopper followed only seconds behind them.

Frank moved forward to sit beside their pilot leaving Shane and Red on one side of the cargo compartment, Sam and big Mike on the other with the two crewmen. Red grinned at the younger SEALs, but made no attempt to talk over the noise of the rotors. They both smiled back at her.

She made a motion to Mike, pointing at her left ring finger and giving him a thumb's up. He smiled wider and actually blushed, though it wasn't obvious on his dark complexion. Sam socked him in the shoulder, laughing. When she looked at him with a raised brow, he waved both hands back and forth, shaking his head as if to say 'no way!'

He pointed to her and she just smiled enigmatically. And took Shane's hand, to mess with their heads a little. He hadn't been paying attention, so he smiled down at her. When he looked across the cargo bay and saw the very speculative looks on his team's faces, his head snapped back to her. She smiled innocently at him and patted his cheek.

He made a face and frowned, but she could see he wasn't really angry. He knew how much she liked to tease. He kinda wished she hadn't, though. Everybody needed to stay sharp now.

Red was surprised when the chopper circled over a long, narrow atoll and settled to the sand on a small cay, like a tail, off one end. It was separate from the rest of the atoll, only connected by a long reef.

"Where are we?" She yelled at Shane. "Toku Cay." He waved toward the rest of the atoll, "That's Pukapuka, one of the Cooks. We'll wait here until dark. They won't expect us from this direction. Stay in the shade." He pointed at the ground beside the helicopter. The engines had just shut down, the rotors whining to a slow stop.

Sam leaped out with a tarp, unfolded it, weighed the corners with handfuls of sand and gallantly waved her to it with a bow. She curtseyed her thanks, grinning as wide as he and crawled on, settling herself with a laptop and her satellite phone near at hand.

She spent the next several hours watching the team unload and set up their equipment. They inflated several Zodiacs and loaded aboard odd-looking fan-like things that had handles on one end. All their dive gear came next, scuba tanks, wetsuits, fins, masks and tool belts for all their gadgets. Last and loaded into the shade of the second chopper were the weapons.

She hadn't realized at first they were going to have company on this mission. The second chopper was loaded with more soldiers, she wasn't sure if they were Navy or Marines, but they were a taciturn bunch. They silently unloaded their own equipment and helped with the SEALs'.

She was watching Shane, standing in the sun in just shorts, giving some kind of instructions to the head of the second group. Already glistening with sweat, both of them had their heads bent over a map. A hand appeared in her field of vision and she glanced up to see one of the others offering her a bottle of water. She smiled, thanking him and got a simple nod in answer.

Most of the guys had stripped down to only pants or tanks and shorts by the time the sun had begun to set. And they had also taken several dips in the waves, too. Red had given up earlier. She'd tried tying her shirt short and rolling up her pants legs, but it was just too hot. Finally, she just said the hell with it, stripped to her undies and plunged into the ocean. The water was warm, but it was a lot cooler than even sitting in the shade.

She was not surprised to find herself the center of attention when she emerged. It amused her to see how the men looked, recognised the weapons strapped to her arm and legs and suddenly found something else to occupy them.

Everyone except Shane. He just stared, shook his head and grinned. So she blew him a kiss. Everybody turned to him and he raised his brows as if to say, "What?" They all went back to work to the sound of Red's tinkling laughter.

They ate and then rested until the sun went down. Shane came over and sat by her. He had his laptop and showed her the latest scans. She could see numerous red dots scattered over the atoll. Most were concentrated on a small island on the eastern side, but there were some that appeared to be in the middle of the lagoon and some on another larger island to the north.

The most important ones to them were the three off to one side, but close together. Shane overlay a map of the buildings and boats from an earlier pass so she could see the three were alone, inside a small shack.

"I'm fairly sure those are our targets. They haven't moved from the building since yesterday, though occasionally one of the people outside goes in and out." He smiled softly at his companion. "They're all moving around inside, so they seem to be all okay."

He checked his watch and nodded to himself. "We're gonna grab a bite and rest for an hour. It will be dusk by then and time to launch the Zodiacs. You'll have the pilots to keep you company until we're ready to be picked up or make it back here. You gonna be okay with that?"

She stared at him, stunned. "What do you mean 'pilot's for company'? You think you're leaving me here?"

Shane stared right back. "I most certainly am. You're not trained for this kind of op. I don't plan on losing a team member 'cause he's watching you. Or having you get hurt, either. Or X doing something stupid, 'cause he thinks he has to make up for last year. And I do need somebody to coordinate the teams while I'm in the water. So you're staying."

He took a deep breath, tensed up to argue with her. Looking at his fierce expression, she realized there would be no changing his mind... and he was the expert. With a frustrated sigh, she gave in. "Okay, Sweetie. You know best."

Shane just looked at her, mouth open, and shook his head. He didn't believe what he'd just heard. "Would you mind repeating that?" He asked, puzzled. Sure she had something up her sleeve.

"I said, you know best. I will listen and do as you say." She dropped her head and glanced up from under those thick, auburn lashes. "This time. But you'd better not get used to it." Her deep green eyes sparkled and she smiled coyly.

Shane studied her for a minute, not sure if she was playing him or not. Deciding to take her at face value, he stood and offered her a hand up. "C'mon. Let's go get something to eat. Before those vultures devour it all."

They wandered over to where the two teams were mingling, some sitting on the sand, others standing, everybody quietly eating and drinking. They all had their heads in the coming mission, concentrating on what they would soon be doing. Red figured it best if she kept silent, too, so as not to disturb anyone.

She sat, munching her protein bar, trail mix and drinking water. While she was, she also watched all the men around her. She was surprised there was very little banter going on. These guys were all so serious, no attempt to ease the growing tension. It was making **her** twitchy.

Meal finished, the second team, (she still wasn't sure what branch), policed the beach, removing all evidence of their occupation from the sand save for right under the helicopters. All the men were now down on the wet sand, gearing up and preparing to launch their rubber boats. The waves would erase their tracks.

Red sighed, disappointed. She had wanted to kiss Shane, but she was afraid to jump off the chopper. The guys probably would not appreciate her messing up their neat clean-up. When he finally looked up, just as his team leaped into their small, black boat, she gave him a sad little wave.

He looked back at his group and surprising her, Frank waved him off, jerking his head toward Red. Shane turned and trotted back up the beach. He grabbed her right off the edge of the chopper and squeezed her, hard. Then he looked down into her eyes and grinned, kissing her soundly.

"Shane?" She questioned, still dangling in his embrace. She looked over his shoulder at the two boatloads of warriors, who were studiously busy with their gear... every single one of them.

"Fuck 'em, if they can't take a joke." He growled. He grinned at her. "I feel better now. Calm and relaxed. Should take you to every drop point. Now, go keep an eye on things for me. 'Til I get back."

He dropped her back on the floor of the chopper bay, her legs dangling as before and ran back to his team. The men pushed the Zodiacs into the surf and in moments were no more than tiny spots of foam that disappeared into the waves.


	23. Chapter 26

26_******_

Shane, Frank and the rest of Bravo Team watched the Sikorsky disappear into the dawn sky. They were all in the Zodiacs now that there was room. And both boats were speeding directly north instead of toward Toku Cay. Away from the fast boat that was trying to cut them off.

They moved a bit faster with their lighter loads, but it would still be a question who got to them first; the ship or the chopper. The rapidly approaching vessel had not yet been identified, and they no longer had communications with Red. If she thought to check, maybe Anderson could ID the ship.

Shane hit his throat mike hoping the chopper pilot could hear him and make sense of what he was asking. Between the roar of the twin outboards, the sounds of the waves shushing along the rubber sides of the boat and the wind of their passage over the swells, it wouldn't be easy.

If they were hostiles and the chopper had to hold them off, it would run out of fuel before being able to pick them up. They'd be marooned on the small atoll, if they could even make it back. The refueling plane was headed for the other Pavehawk with the wounded aboard. Not a good scenario for either the ground teams nor the chopper crew.

The airship couldn't make head nor tails out of his request; his mike didn't have enough power to reach clearly. So he made his way carefully to the back of his Zodiac. Hanging on to the rail along the gunwale, he shouted at the crewman with his hand on the throttle.

He got the message and gave Shane a thumb's up. He ducked his head away from the powerful outboards and yelled into his radio. Passing on Shane's question successfully; now it was simply a question of timing.

Would Anderson get their request quickly? Could the AWAC identify the ship? If not, could whomever was monitoring the navsat at the base? Would the information get back to them soon enough to be of use? If the chopper had to stop the boat, could they? What if it was a pirate vessel and they fired on the helo? Even if it wasn't shot at, would they have enough fuel? And if they made it back to the cay, would they be able to take off again?

He shook his head in frustration. Too many variables. He didn't like missions that weren't planned out tight and neat. This one was particularly sloppy. He just hoped the ship was a Kiwi patrol boat or even a French cruiser. They should have been notified ahead of time, but that had not been his decision to make.

In the lightening sky, they could just barely make out the dark spot that was their erstwhile ride home, circling over what appeared to be foam on a wave. Shane knew it was actually the bow wave from the ship bearing down on them. She was a light gray vessel, nearly impossible to separate from the ocean itself at this distance.

He saw the chopper swing from side to side, a maneuver the pilot would never have attempted if the ship were hostile and he relaxed with a sigh. It immediately turned and headed back toward the two small, rubber craft bobbing in the swells. The ship continued to follow, but her frantic pace had slowed. She would just watch to make sure their extraction went with no trouble.

(Te Kukupa... the name of the Cook Island police patrol boat, is approx 135 tonnes, 31.5 m long x 28.6 m wide. For comparison the Zodiacs are 17 ft, [5.35m], long.)

Once he, Frank and the rest of Bravo Team were aboard, he went forward and discovered the ship was actually a police patrol boat. She'd been called from her regular duties when someone on Pukapuka had radioed upon seeing the two helos parked on the cay at the far end of their atoll.

He noticed the entire crew standing on the ship's forward deck as the divers were winched aboard the aircraft. Probably taking notes for their next rescue, he figured. Good for them.

He continued to watch as the Zodiacs were winched aboard and broken down. Deflated and in pieces they were rolled up and stored in the back of the cargo compartment. It made things a bit cramped for the men, but they were used to less than comfortable conditions.


	24. Chapter 27

_27******_

Notified of the successful extraction of the hostages, Anderson Airbase's commander leaned back in his chair and sighed. He'd been keeping track and also updating the NSA man who'd called him every couple of hours. It had been his decision to have the first helo head directly for Hawaii and he arranged for her in-air refueling faster than the admiral had thought possible.

If the tanker was unable to reach the second chopper, he wanted them on Samoa, waiting for it. Once refueled, they would fly directly to Hawaii, as well. Gibbons wanted all the members of SEAL team 1 together ASAP. The admiral was unhappy his divers were being diverted, but the NSA agent said he would send them back, and his helos, as soon as practical.

Gibbons was already at Pearl; he'd flown out with the Senator the day before. He would be very pleased when the teams arrived, the man was driving him insane with questions, most of which he couldn't answer. The Senator didn't have a high enough clearance and he was not happy to learn so.

It was still early when the first ship touched down on the airstrip at Hickam, just across the peninsula from Pearl Harbour. Ground transport was waiting at the end of the strip to transfer everyone to Pearl. Where Gibbons was impatiently waiting with Titian's dad. As soon as the choppers hit the pad, everyone piled out and into the waiting trucks. Everyone except Sam and Titian. They were loaded into an ambulance and whisked off to the naval base hospital.

Bobby and Xander refused treatment by the medics, wanting to get the unpleasantness of their debriefing over with first. Then Bobby would go to be with his girl and get his ribs taped up and have somebody check his teeth, clean his cuts, whatever he needed.

Red had steri-stripped the gash on X's head in the chopper and he said that was all he needed. The rest was just bruising and those would heal on their own. He figured to get his interview with Gibbons over quickly so he could spend some quality time with her.

By the time they'd made the trip across the headland, everyone was glad to be inside. Even though it was still morning in O'ahu, it was already hot in the bright sun. Red asked for water and bottles were procured and passed to all the group. Several of the divers saluted her in thanks. She only nodded; God alone knew how long it would have taken their own people to think of it.

She, Xander and Bobby were shown into an office and they all sat gratefully. Even though that was what they'd been doing for hours; these seats were comfortably padded and it was cool and quiet. They didn't have long to wait before Gibbons arrived, looking very pleased with himself.

He had a naval stenographer with him and he settled himself beside the desk they all faced. Gibbons walked around behind and sat, leaned back and steepled his hands in front of him. He looked like he was going to cause trouble, and Red wasn't having any of it.

One comment against X and she would be all over his ass. The NSA lead agent saw her tense and recognised the glint in her beautiful eyes. He decided to soothe first, ask pointed questions later. He had noted she was armed and wasn't ready to get sliced just yet.

"Good job, X. I'm not sure how you managed it, but it appears everything has turned out well. What were you doing in the South Pacific, anyway?" He smiled broadly at his most difficult agent.

Xander snorted, not fooled for a moment. "Hittin' some bitchin' waves, 'Boss'. What any self-respecting surfer would be doin'. Whad'ya think?" He slumped back in his chair, extending his legs and crossing his ankles. No way he was gonna let Gibbons intimidate him today.

Gibbons sighed; he'd just known this wasn't going to go easy. "Would you mind giving your version of the op to me? And explain your relationship to Senator Johnson's daughter?" He held up a hand to forestall any argument. "We'll get to each of you in turn. Since X is technically my agent, I'd like to hear him first." He leveled a glare a Red. "If you don't have any objection, Red?"

"No, as long as you don't try and twist this into something he should not have gotten involved with. And only my friends call me 'Red'." She snapped at him. Gibbons made a face, but didn't argue the point. He turned back to X and waved for him to continue.

The morning passed, and half the afternoon. Gibbons had food and drinks ordered in, but wouldn't let them go until he had the complete story... all three versions. He'd get a report from the SEAL team later. Bobby was getting anxious, he wanted to get back to Titian before her father had her secluded or whisked her off somewhere. And he was exhausted; needed sleep.

So was Xander. Red noticed his eyelids drooping while she and Bobby were still talking. She finally had had enough and said so. "Okay, Gibbons. Enough. The guys are exhausted and need sleep and their injuries treated. Bobby wants to see the girl; make sure she's okay. And it's important for her, too. He kept her together the whole flight back." She stood to emphasize this interrogation was over. "I need to check in with Host and I want to know where Shane is... and see him."

"I'm not sure if he's even arrived..."

She strode two steps to the desk and leaned down into the NSA man's face. "Then find him!" She spat in his face. "I'm going to the hospital. Check on Sam and Titian. Get these two cleaned up." She turned her back on him and motioned to the two seated men. " Come on, boys. We're done here."

She stalked out, knowing they would gladly follow. Xander smirked at Gibbons and sauntered after her. The NSA agent scowled, but let them go. He'd catch up with X later; and he did look like crap.


	25. Chapter 28

28_******_

The second helo headed straight for the minor base on American Samoa. The pilot didn't have to say anything, the divers knew the ship's capabilities. It was very quiet in the troop bay as the men waited to see if they'd make it.

She landed on fumes, the pilot and his copilot glancing at each other and slapping their palms together. One of the other crewies, the gunner, actually kissed the doorpost on his way out. The divers all piled out, getting in some stretching and relieving themselves while the chopper was refueled.

The base commander met them on the field, looking for the operation leader. "That would be me, sir. LT. Shane Wolf, SEAL team 1." Shane saluted smartly and stood at parade rest.

"Relax, Lieutenant. I just wanted to commend you on a job well done. And see if there's anything you need before you head to Pearl?" Shane frowned.

"They're sending us all on, sir? Most of these boys belong to Anderson. I thought we'd be heading there first?"

The commander shrugged. "Those were the orders I was given, Wolf. Whoever's running this show wants you all back there ASAP. We'll change pilots and refuel you again in air, but you're going straight back to Hawaii."

"Yes, sir." Shane saluted again. "If you could get us all something to eat and drink, I think we'll be good." He looked around to see if anyone wanted anything else. He only got nods and a couple of smiles. Everybody was good to go. He stood there thinking. _Only one reason Id get orders like this. Gibbons. Wonder what he wants. Guess I'll find out soon enough. _

Once the Sikorsky was refueled, all the divers piled back in. They had pulled out the Zodiacs and repacked them, making everything neat and tidy. They were stowed in the back again, but took up less room now. It didn't increase the comfort level of a long chopper ride much, but any little bit was welcome.

It was still morning when they lifted from the island, but not early. By the time they reached Hawaii it would be late afternoon. Knowing he had a long, boring flight ahead of him and debriefing after, Shane found as comfortable a position as he could and promptly went to sleep.

Red, Xander and Bobby had been at the base hospital for a while when Shane's helo finally landed. The two teams were immediately transferred to a troop transport and driven across the headland to Pearl. Shane and Frank were directed to the office where Gibbons waited.

Shane went through the debriefing seemingly patiently. He gave his usual, concise and precise report. In reality, he wanted out of there as quickly as he could manage. He had a wounded teammate to check on and a report to give his own CO. Then he had to call Sam's parents, let them know he had been hurt and give them an update on his condition. Not a duty he was looking forward to.

Frank found Mike already at the hospital and the two men waited for their team leader to arrive. Overnight housing had been arranged for them and they would fly back to San Diego on the following day. Once their mission reports had been given, they would be on standby until Sam was better.

Shane was surprised when he walked into Sam's room in the hospital. It was already crowded with well-wishers and someone had brought several huge bouquets of island flowers.

The sweet scents of plumeria, frangipani, orchids, ginger and jasmine perfumed the air, drowning out the normal sharp disinfectant smell of a medical facility. And the bright colours livened up the atmosphere, too. Almost as much as the group of cheerful people surrounding Sam's bed. 

Frank and Mike were leaning against a wall; Xander sat in one of the two chairs with Red on his lap, Bobby stood on the far side, holding Titian in a loose embrace, and her father, Senator Johnson sat in the chair on the near side. Now Shane understood the two dark-suited, shades-wearing men outside the door. Secret service for the Senator, no doubt.

Sam grinned hugely when he looked up and saw his boss. "Leut! Where ya been? We were beginning ta think **you** got kidnapped!" He turned to the man beside him and introduced Shane.

Shane snorted, "Well, somebody had to give report and do the paperwork." He frowned in mock annoyance. "Next time I tell you to duck, maybe you'll listen." Everyone chuckled and the Senator rose, extending a hand.

"Jack Johnson, Lieutenant. I believe I owe you a big thank you. I understand you are the one that spearheaded my daughter's rescue." He took Shane's hand in a firm grip and pumped it vigorously.

The big SEAL made a self-deprecating face and shrugged. "It was a group effort, sir. I only..."

"Shane!" Red smiled at him. "We could not have done it without you and your team. And you didn't have to come when I called you. You had all the right contacts, knew who to call and what we'd need."

He quirked a little smile and nodded, "Just doing what they pay me for."

The senator shook his head. "That's what everyone keeps saying. I still believe you all should get some kind of commendation..."

"We appreciate your gratitude, Senator. But, some of us couldn't accept... at least not publicly. So your thanks will do just fine." Red turned her famous 1000 watt smile on the older man. "Actually, Senator, the one who deserves your thanks the most is X. If he hadn't worried over his missing friend, it might have been much longer... too late, in fact, before anyone realized Titian had been abducted."

Johnson looked at the irreverent, tattooed hulk that the tiny redhead was sitting on and couldn't repress a slight frown. Xander just smirked back and nuzzled her neck. He knew very well that Johnson didn't approve of his lifestyle or his politics. It pleased him no end. He'd been a good boy, done his job and still got to tweak the hawk's tail feathers.

He gasped slightly when her hand slipped from his shoulder down his chest and she pinched his nipple... hard. She was silently telling him to behave. She hadn't even seen his face and she knew what he was doing. He chuckled, silently. The woman had him pegged, alright.

Shane almost laughed out loud when he saw X's eyes widen. Red was a sneaky little witch at times. She sure knew just how to keep that big goof under control. He grinned for a moment and winked at the pair, then went all serious and military as the senator's face came back in his direction.

"Well, Lieutenant Wolf. I think we've taken up enough of your man's time. You probably have a lot to go over with him and... your friends. So Titian and I will take our leave with our thanks again, and wishes for you to recover quickly, son." The senator smiled and shook Sam's hand, then the rest of the SEAL team.

Titian moved to Sam's bed and leaned over to kiss his cheek. She hugged Red, who had also stood up and then Xander, too. "I can never thank you guys enough. You saved my life. And Bobby, too." She looked like she was about to cry again.

Red gave her a look, "Ah, ah ah! No more of that, now. You're okay. You ever need to talk, though; you call me." She handed her off to Bobby; he gave her a one-armed hug and peck on the cheek.

"Thanks, Red. You are one classy lady." He looked up at the tall athlete behind her. "Bro. What can I say? You are one f'd up mother. I love ya, man." They bumped shoulders a little awkwardly since neither one was willing to let go of the woman he held. Xander patted Bobby's back.

"Dude. See ya next year!" When Bobby looked at him like he was crazy, he grinned. " We still gotta party to go to. And I am gonna do that stunt." The kid wasn't the only one in the room shaking his head in disbelief. Finally after another round of handshakes between the rescuees and the SEALs, everyone left.

Sam sighed, wriggling around to get more comfortable. Red plumped his pillows for him and snugged the sheets that had loosened and wrinkled. "Why don't you get some rest, kiddo. I think the rest of us need to stretch our legs for a bit." He grinned and nodded. Xander moved his tray-table closer so he could reach the water, magazines and call button.

Everyone trooped out and stood in the hall. X immediately stretched up, hands over his head, his fingertips nearly brushing the ceiling. "Don't know 'bout the rest of ya, but I'm starving. They must have a cafeteria in this place. An' I bet you could use some coffee, huh, Beautiful?"

Mike moaned, "Oh, yeah... coffee. Hawaiian coffee is primo. Cafe's this way." He turned and headed toward the building's interior. After checking with each other, the rest followed.

They ended up all getting something to eat and discussing plans for the next few days. Shane wanted to contact Harris at Coronado, see if he could get them a couple days to unwind before they had to go back. His team had no objection and Red smiled happily. Of course, he'd known she would be pleased with the idea.

In fact, before she even said anything, X jumped up and walked to the sliders that led to the patio. They heard him on his phone, talking to Gibbons. He had his boss making arrangements to send Bobby back to Bora Bora to pack up and ship all his equipment home. Then he told him he owed Red a favor and she wanted the SEALs to get a couple of days break, so he should call Commander Harris at Coronado and arrange it.

They heard Gibbons complaining from halfway across the room, but Xander pushed until the agent finally agreed to ask. Harris didn't have to agree, after all. But he did, happy all his boys had come home, and successfully, too.

They were just leaving the hospital when all the SEALs pagers went off. The message was from Harris, giving them until the weekend. They weren't due back in San Diego until Saturday. Mike grinned and high fived X. He looked at the big guy and asked, "Surf?"

"Ehukai Beach or Waimea?" was Xander's immediate reply. Red put her hand on his arm.

"X, we just got back from a very dangerous mission. You really think he's up to the North Shore?" She looked at him as if asking him to think a little before jumping into more trouble.

"Ahh, it's summer. The waves'll be softer. I think he can handle it." X shrugged. "Besides South's got jellies now. Don't wanna end up back here sick from stings. That really sucks." He shuddered as if remembering. Red had no doubt he was. "What are you guys thinking?"

Frank chuckled, "I think I'll tag along. Take some pictures, maybe. Collect some shells for my daughter." Red turned to him, but refrained from asking when she saw the sudden wary expression on his face.

"First thing I'm going to do is find a hotel and take a long, relaxing bath. I can always find you guys later. Or we could meet somewhere for dinner?" She glanced at Shane, wondering what he was thinking.

"Sounds good, babe. I'm gonna find us a car and some place to rent a decent board." Xander kissed her and wandered out onto the patio. He jerked his head at Shane to follow him. When they had shut the door behind them, he gave his friend a very serious look. "You gonna hang with Red?"

"You don't mind?" He was surprised. After all, they had been separated for days. Xander just frowned. "Nah, it's all good bro. And you two do need to figure out what's going on between you. Be a good time for ya to have a little chat, ya know?" Shane sighed; he wasn't looking forward to this. But, X was right. He did have a decision to make... and so did Red.

He ran his hand over the top of his head, "And you're okay with this? You don't want to be there?"

X clapped him on the shoulder. "She'll do what she wants, dude. Won't matter what either of us decide. I'll deal with whatever she wants if and when it comes up. But, I think it's gonna be more of a problem for you. Maybe not right now, but eventually." He still had his hand on the other big man's shoulder. "She's really not the house with picket fence and dog type, man. And I think you are."

Shane swallowed and nodded. He left Xander to make his calls and went back inside. Told his guys he was gonna take Red to her hotel, and catch up on some paperwork. He'd meet them all for dinner.

So they split up, the guys heading for a surf shop and the beach, Shane and Red for the resort at Turtle Bay. She figured since they probably wouldn't see each other for some time, they might as well enjoy the best the island had to offer. She could afford it and this was relatively close to where the guys were surfing.

The best option was a 3 bedroom villa. There were 2 full baths with separate showers and deep jacuzzi tubs. The master suite opened onto the beach and was at the far end of the villa from the other two bedrooms. It had its own kitchen, dining area and sunken living room that opened onto a lanai facing the surf.

As soon as they arrived, Red ordered wine and snacks for her and Shane, then she realized he might prefer something else. So while still on the phone, she asked if he wanted beer or hard liquor and what he thought the other two SEALS would like. He assured her they'd all be happy with beer. She nodded and ordered a case; four big guys could kill that in one night.

Shane wandered through the rooms, stunned by the opulence. This was not what he had meant when he'd said 'hotel'. But, she seemed pleased, so he kept quiet.

Red kicked off her shoes, poured herself a glass and started the tub. While it filled, she wandered out onto the lanai and relaxed on a chaise, eyes closed, just listening to the surf and the breeze in the palms. She'd shown him the internet connection and left him to set up. They were both avoiding their 'chat', preferring to relax first.

Shane made copies of the reports his team had filed on O'ahu and forwarded them to Harris and Gibbons, even though he had spoken to the NSA man while at Pearl. He also sent an abridged version to the Admiral on Guam so he would have an independent report on his guys' performance. Shane believed in always dotting the 'i's and crossing the 't's. And he wanted to make sure the other dive team got the recognition they deserved.

It took him less time than he'd thought, so he wandered into the kitchen looking for a drink. The beer had arrived and he helped himself. He listened to the tub still running and he figured he'd better check. It was full, so he turned off the water and went to tell Red.

He stood watching her for a couple of minutes. She'd fallen asleep, her glass of wine still half full on the ground beside her lounge. He didn't blame her; he was tired from the long flights and long debriefing after, too. The stress of not knowing what was happening with X for several days before had probably worn her down, as well.

And then there was him. He still wasn't sure what to do about that. He would quite happily continue their relationship, he thought. Whether they remained lovers or just stayed friends was up to her. He knew he wanted the intimacy, but Xander had been right. Eventually he did want to settle down, make himself some roots; a place to call home.

It was something he'd never really had in his life, and he missed it. Frank had his daughter and sister, Mike was getting married, Sam had family that he visited every chance he got. Hell, he'd even taken Shane with him last Christmas.

The big SEAL smiled, remembering the awed expression on Sam's young cousin's face when he had introduced him to the boy. And the stern look on his mom's face as she admonished him to take good care of her only son; a look that softened to a maternal pride when he told her Sam was one of the best. She'd hugged him and said he was always welcome in their home. It had almost brought tears to his eyes.

He sighed, returning to the present. Time to wake the little beauty before her bath got cold. He took the last two steps to her side and leaned down to kiss her on the forehead. "Wake up, Beautiful." She took a deep breath and stretched, smiling before she even opened her eyes.

"Mmm. Hi, Sweetie. How long did I sleep?"

"Not long, maybe half an hour. And now your bath awaits, madame." Shane grinned and bowed, offering her a hand up. She giggled and let him pull her out of the chaise.

Slipping into his arms and gazing up adoringly, she crooned huskily, "Are you going to come help? Scrub my back?" Leaning back, Red smiled up at him. "It will be nice and relaxing for you, too. And the tub is big enough for both of us."

Shane looked down with a very serious expression on his face. "You know why X left us and took the guys surfing, right? He said we needed to talk. And... well, I think he's probably right."

Red's happy expression immediately sobered. Her shoulders drooped and she lowered her gaze from the big man's face. "I know. I was only wishing we could enjoy each other's company for a while before we hurt each other."

Shane stiffened a bit at that. "I would never hurt you. I love you, Red. Why would you say that?"

She just smiled sadly. "It's already happening, Love. I love you, too. That's why it hurts. I don't want to say goodbye to you. But, I know I have to. Unless you can tell me this is what you want... all you need. That eventually you won't resent Xander, or me for not choosing one of you over the other."

She sighed and cupped his cheek with a gentle hand. "And I think you have to figure out yet what you want for your future. You can't keep doing this forever. I would be crushed if you were hurt or, Heaven forbid, captured or killed. Don't you want a place outside the Navy you can go home to? Someone waiting for you who loves you? A family?"

They had slowly walked into the bathroom and removed clothing as they talked. Now the little woman slipped into the warm tub and sighed. "Come sit with me and relax while we do this. Maybe it will help."

Shane gave her a wry, crooked smile and shook his head. He stepped in behind her and sighed. "I doubt it. But, I'll take any chance to be close to you I can get." He pulled her back into his lap and they settled into the swirling water.

Both sat silently after sighing in pleasure for a few moments. Red leaned back against Shane's firm chest and closed her eyes. When he began to speak, she smiled. She loved feeling his deep voice rumble through his chest and vibrate right through her body.

"You know, X said something like that when he suggested this. I never figured him for the deep thinking type. I guess he's more intuitive than I realized." Shane snorted. "I can't believe I just said that."

Red giggled softly. "He surprises me all the time. You never know what he'll say or do. But, he is a pretty good judge of character, just the same. What did he say to you?"

"Said you're not the 'picket fence and dog type. And I am.' His exact words." Shane huffed a deep breath out. "Damn him; he's right. At least, about me."

Red smoothed a sponge over him as she murmured quietly. "Tell me, Sweetie. Why is he right?"

So Shane pretty much spilled his life history to her. Explaining how his mother had deserted the family when he was just a baby. And how his father was a spec ops guy, just like him. How he'd grown up in military school and gone from there right into service. How he'd lost his dad early, too. The Navy and his team were the only family he'd ever really known.

Red rolled over facing him, still lying on his chest. She wrapped both arms around him and hugged him, her throat tight in sympathy. Shane tipped her chin up when he heard her swallow hard and take a shaky breath. "Hey! Don't cry, Beautiful. It's been a good life, so far. I'm content."

"Tchuh! Content! Don't give me that! You're not happy. You should be happy. You **deserve** to be happy., Shane." She took another deep, almost sobbing breath. "And I can't give you that."

His face crumpled and she shushed him with a kiss. "Let me explain. I had a wonderful, warm and loving family growing up. Parents, brother, aunts and cousins; even as adults we were all close. My dad I lost early; car accident. I had a good job and met a wonderful man I planned on marrying.

"Until one day, Gibbons and his bunch decided my brother was too good at what he did. They figured they would rather have him work for them than waste away in a federal penitentiary. So they staged a raid on his home. But, they didn't do their homework; didn't know he had protected his place." Her voice had dropped to a bare whisper and Shane held her tight when she started shaking.

"And it just so happened it was his birthday and all the family was visiting... except me. I was out of the country on assignment. My fiance was ATF... led the raid on his apartment. They... they were all killed... in the explosion. I lost my whole family in less than the time it takes someone to sneeze and get a 'God bless you.'"

"They told me in mid-assignment. Said I should come home. I couldn't deal with it; said I'd stay, finish the job. Well it fucked up my concentration and I got shot. Gut shot. I can't have kids, Shane. Never. My family dies with me." She sobbed, once. Her voice roughened and became cold and angry. "And some day, I am going to kill Gibbons for that. I promised my family. And then I won't be safe anywhere... if I survive."

Taking a deep breath, Red lifted her eyes to her lover's shocked face. She wasn't surprised. The only man who had ever accepted her story without being distressed was Xander. He'd simply offered to help if she wanted.

"So, you see. X is right. I'm **not** the settling down with babies and pets kinda girl." She chuckled, and said sardonically, "I have some pretty big unresolved issues I need to deal with. Speaking as my own therapist. X is the only man I've ever been with that just takes me as I am... one day at a time. No pressure, no demands, no trying to change anything. It's one of the biggest reasons that I love him. That and his craziness." She laughed.

"I do love you, Shane. You're so sweet, thoughtful. You are a bit more sensitive to mood than X, which is nice. You're solid and steady. You ground whomever you're with. I've needed that and I love that you would give of yourself to me. Oh, and let's not forget... you are a **wonderful** lover. So sexy. And so gorgeous." Red slid up his chest and kissed him, softly. Mouth, eyes, cheeks and back to his mouth.

"I don't want to say goodbye to you, Beautiful. You are the best thing that's ever happened to me. You and X. Crazy son of a bitch. Can't help liking him. He's made me see there's more to living than the job. He knows how to have fun, just enjoy the moment. I've never really had that before you two. I hope we can at least stay friends. Even if I can't keep having you in my bed. I'd miss you too much. It'd be like... like losing family." He scowled and looked away with a sniff.

"Oh, baby! I'd love to keep coming to your bed. But, I'm not going to give up Xander. If you can deal with 'friends with benefits', it would be the best thing. At least for me. But, I don't want you waiting around to play with us when you could be finding a real love of your own. Someone who wants only you. And I don't think there are too many ladies out there who could deal with our kind of lifestyle."

"Yeah, well. Until it happens, if it ever does, we can stay... like we are?" He sounded sad to her, almost desperate.

"Sweetie, I would never make you go away if you don't want to. I just don't want to keep you from being happy with someone. And I wanted to be sure you understand how I feel... about Xander and what my life is like."

Shane took a deep breath. "Okay. I think I do." He grinned a little. "So, we're good?"

"You are always good, lover." She purred into his neck, kissing his throat and collar bones.  
>"I want to make love with you again, Shane. Can we? Just us? Before the boys come back?"<p>

"Oh, yeah, Beautiful. I'd really like that." He grinned mischievously. "An' I wanna do you with X one more time before we all have to get back to the real world."

She laughed happily. "Like I'm going to say 'no' to that! Come on." Red stood and stepped out of the jacuzzi. Wrapping herself in a large towel, she handed Shane one and headed for the master bedroom. He followed right on her heels, not wanting to waste a moment.

Shane sat her on the side of the bed and used his towel to dry her hair. Since he was standing in front of her, she naturally reached out and drew him closer, pushing her knees between his. She leaned in and kissed his belly, tickling his navel with her tongue.

He groaned, the muscles fluttering as she laved him with her tongue. Her mouth slipped lower and his hands stilled, while he held his breath in anticipation. Shane stiffened and gasped when the heat of her mouth enveloped him. "Oh, God, Red!" He moaned.

She sucked his rapidly swelling cock deep, flattened and curled her tongue around the underside. Keeping suction tight as she slid him back out until just the head of his cock was still imprisoned, she fluttered her tongue over the large vein on the underside until he was completely enclosed again.

Shane still held her head between his big hands, but gently. He would let her take him as she wished, keeping himself as still as he could. His thighs trembled with the sensations she created and his breath grew shaky and uneven.

Realizing he would come soon if she didn't stop, Red let him slip out and grinned up at him. His eyes glowed and he smiled back down at her. "Damn, woman! You can do that all day if you want."

She giggled, sliding her hands up the back of his legs and cupping the cheeks of his ass. "Oh, no. I want you inside me, big boy. Come here." With that she scooted to the center of the bed and lay back, holding out her arms. Shane wasted no time in complying, crawling over her and lying between her spread thighs.

He looked down at her breasts, pressed to his chest and sighed. "Beautiful. I gotta taste these."

He slid down enough to reach and took one pert, pink nipple into his mouth. Suckling gently at first, then harder as she stiffened and the nipple swelled, he rubbed his tongue over it and the pebbled aureola. Red arched and moaned in delight, her hands sliding from his shoulders to the back of his head.

She wrapped her legs around his hips, whispering softly. "Yes, Shane. Oh, yes, lover. I want you inside. Make me scream for you, Shane."

"That would be my pleasure, Beautiful. You enjoy what I do, don't you?" He moved back up and stared into those deep green orbs that had captured him the first time he looked at them.

"Yes, Shane. I love what you do, the way you make me feel. So much. Please, take me now. I ache for you. Fill this emptiness in me." Low and throaty, her voice sent a thrill through him and he quickly complied.

Coming up to his knees, he looked down between their bodies, hers already flushed with desire and watched as he guided himself into her waiting heat. They both gasped as he slowly, steadily pushed in and seated himself deep within her. She shivered and sighed, tensing her interior muscles as he filled her core with the silken steel of his cock.

The big SEAL could already feel the tightening of his muscles and knew he wouldn't last long. His belly quivered and back tensed, making his breath come short and fast. The coiled tension deep in his gut had all his concentration as he tried to hold off long enough to please her.

"Oh, lover. Don't hold back. Give me all of you." Red could tell he was close to exploding and she was thrilled he wanted her so badly. She loved the feeling of him releasing within her body;  
>the hot fluid he filled her with, the way his cock pulsed and twitched as he came.<p>

"Too quick... damn it. Don't wanna... go so soon." He grunted between strokes, but he was pounding himself into her. So hard he drove her right up the bed until her head was hitting the wall. Red lifted her hands up and pushed back, trying to keep her head from banging the wall as her now frantic lover repeatedly slammed into her, moaning low the entire time.

She smiled, delighted to see him really taking his pleasure from her without any control at all. He'd never been so wild, so rough with her before and it made her tingle all over. She urged him on, crying out, her voice rising as she neared her peak.

Shane lost it when he heard her scream his name, begging him to fill her with his hot come. He reared up, placing his hands against the wall and drove his full weight into her as fast and as hard as he could. His vision actually went white and he heard nothing save the pounding of his heart while his body spasmed and jerked with his release. Never even realized he had yelled out loud.

The big man rocked back onto his haunches, slipping away from the warmth of his lover's body.  
>He gasped for air, chest heaving, drenched in sweat. Too exhausted to even fall over for a moment. Then, with a groan, he collapsed onto his side, one leg still draped over Red's.<p>

Her legs pinned by his heavy thigh, she could only turn her upper body to face him. She smiled at the ecstatic expression on his face. Smoothing one palm over his near arm and chest, she crooned softly. "Oh, that was lovely, Sweetie. You okay?" when he didn't respond right away.

Finally his eyes opened and he whispered, "Holy shit! What just happened? I've never blacked out like that." He looked over at her and grinned back. "Are you okay?"

"I am marvelous. Wonderful. So happy. You completely lost control and it was... beautiful." She shivered in an aftershock from remembering. "Your face... I've never seen you look so... you really enjoyed that."

Wrapping his arms around her, Shane squeezed her tight enough to make her squeak. "That was the best. I just wanna rest like this for a coupla minutes. Catch my breath. Okay?" Cuddling back close, she purred in agreement. They fell asleep still in each other's embrace.


	26. Chapter 29

29~~~~~~

"Aww! That is just too cute! Anybody got a camera?" Xander tiptoed away from the master bedroom and looked at the SEALs, a devilish twinkle in his eye. Mike looked at him quizzically and Frank frowned, perplexed. "I wanna get a shot of them before they wake up." He whispered.

Mike immediately grinned, falling in with the plan, but Frank shook his head. "Oh, come on, Frankie! We won't do anything with it... well, maybe cheer up Sam, but that's all." X coaxed.

"I don't have anything to do with this," the older SEAL murmured, though he kept his voice low. "I'm getting a beer." He disappeared into the kitchen, abdicating any responsibility for the coming nonsense.

X and Mike crept back and silently swung the door wide. They each had cameras and the whirring and clicking woke Shane first, who yawned and stretched, waking Red. She rubbed her face on his chest and suddenly whipped her head around as the noise penetrated her brain.

"Xander Cage! What do you think you are doing?" She yelped, in mock horror. Shane, on the other hand, sat straight up and rolled off the bed onto the floor, prepared for he knew not what. Her shriek had startled him and he responded as a trained soldier would.

Red grabbed the edge of the covers and rolled, wrapping the coverlet over herself. She glared at X over her shoulder since she was now face down in the middle of the bed. Shane was still crouched on the far side, looking disgusted.

X got a few more shots of his stunned countenance, before collapsing to the floor in hysterical laughter. Mike retreated, figuring it was safer after seeing the expressions on the couple's faces. He snuck into the kitchen and grabbed a beer, leaving X on his own.

"You people are just sick." Frank bitched at him, shaking his head. The leut is gonna make you pay for this, you know."

Mike nodded in agreement, grinning sheepishly. "You shoulda seen his face." He held up the camera, "You wanna..."

Frank put up his hand, "No, I don't want to see naked pictures of Shane. And Red; did you even think about her?" Mike instantly looked ashamed. "Shit, no. X thought it would be funny. I just went with him; I figured he knew how she'd react."

"She didn't sound too pleased to me." Frank grouched. "I hope you idiots haven't screwed our weekend."

"Oh, hell! Me, too. Damn, X is just so... it's hard not go along with him; you know? He just kinda sucks you in." Mike sat down with a thump. Frowning, he looked up at Frank. "You really think we fucked up bad?"

Frank suddenly grinned at his teammate. "Nah. I was just pulling your leg. X can be a bit overwhelming, though. You gotta think when he's on a roll. Some of the shit he comes up with... could get you killed, if you're not careful. He's nuts. Just doesn't care. Anything for a thrill, you know?"

Mike nodded in understanding. "You're telling me to be careful 'cause of Rosie, right?"

Frank whacked his shoulder, "There ya go. Now you're thinking."

While they were chatting, the doorbell rang and they looked at each other wondering who it could be. Frank had just gotten up when he heard Red's voice call from the bedroom. "Would one of you please answer that? It will be the chef wanting our dinner choices, so you need to check the menus on the dining table. We'll be out in a minute."

"Yes, ma'am." He called back and went to the front of the villa. Frank let the chef in and followed him back to the dining area. Xander and Mike were already looking over the menu and Red and Shane came out of the master suite moments later. Frank found the fact that the man never even blinked at seeing four big men and one tiny woman rather amusing.

They made their choices and the chef told them he would return in half an hour to prepare their meals right there in their own kitchen. The SEALs were impressed, Mike commenting to X that now he knew how the other half lived and wanting to know if X always traveled like this.

The big athlete laughed and shook his head. "Oh, this wasn't my idea. This is Red's treat." He grinned at her, "Not that I'm complaining, Sweetness. I love this place."

They all looked at her, and Mike exclaimed, "Shit! And I had to go and pick the most expensive thing on the menu!"

Red smiled happily. "Good. I'm glad you did. I just thought this would be a nice way of saying thank you to you all for saving Xander's ass. And I can afford it, Mike. So you choose whatever you want." She had moved around the table and tucked herself under X's arm as she spoke.

The guys had all chosen various versions of Hawaiian grown beef and had their cuts of meat cooked to order. Sides of fresh veggies accompanied the meat and there was a large salad that everyone sampled. Red had seafood, a melange of crab, lobster, scallops and shrimp in a delicate white wine glaze served over rice pilaf.

X kept stealing pieces of her meal and she laughingly slapped at his hand when he did. So he cut several chunks of rare steak and fed them to her. After several glasses of wine for her and a few beers apiece, they were all feeling quite mellow.

Shane put something soft on the stereo and everyone wandered out onto the lanai to relax and digest. A quite comfortable silence descended for a while and they watched the tropic sun go down in a blaze of lurid colour.

After about an hour of food coma, X had had enough quiet. Sitting up and moving Red, he announced he was going for a swim and wanted to know who would join him. Several groans answered him and he complained, "Come on, you guys! You can't lay around all night with that beautiful ocean right in front of you. Let's get wet!"

Mike sighed and rolled to his feet. "Okay, suits or no?" X just laughed and started peeling his clothes off. So the big black SEAL joined him and they ran down the beach and jumped into the waves.

Red watched them splash and dunk each other, playing like kids for a few moments. "Looks like they're having fun. What do you say we get them back for those pictures, Shane?" He chuckled and agreed, stripping off and running into the surf. "Frank?" She questioned, now in just panties.

"Okay, but only if you keep those on." She chuckled and shook her head. "Chicken!" Then she joined the others. Frank sighed and stripped to his shorts and followed the sounds of splashing and laughter into the ocean.

They didn't spend too long in the water. As the sky darkened, a cool night breeze sprang up and chilled them fairly quickly. So after a short dip, everyone ran back indoors to dry off and warm up. Their chef had left them dessert in the form of personal sized cakes and sweet breads made with tropical fruits and a large pot of kona coffee.

Macadamia nut bread, coconut-pineapple upside down cake, orange-mango fruit cake, fresh pineapple and strawberry tartlets were displayed on the dining table with the coffee and a carafe of fresh cream in the center. Everyone dug in and Red poured for them all.

Bed time came pretty early as everyone was full and very tired. It was a mutual decision, that had them all rising from the table and a round of hugs and kisses, (from Red), goodnight sent them all to their rooms. She gave her men no time to question who was sleeping with her by simply taking a hand of each and leading them to the suite.

They settled in their usual places, X on her left and Shane on her right. Kissing both men, she snuggled down and sighed contentedly. Xander scrooched around for a couple of minutes, finding a comfortable position and by the time he'd settled, Shane was snoring softly into his pillow.

Red snickered and whispered in Xander's ear. "Guess I wore him out earlier. Poor baby. He's been so stressed over everything." X "mmpfed" into his pillow and half-heartedly pawed her, but he was rapidly succumbing to sleep, too. "Oh, go to sleep, lover. I'll wake you later." She flung an arm over his back and closed her eyes.

In actuality, Red was woken herself. A delightful tingle coursing through her body from being suckled, her eyes opened to the heat of two hot mouths on her breasts. She moaned softly and squirmed when a hand cupped her mound as well. Then her eyes snapped fully open as her hands were lifted over her head and pinned in a strong grip.

She gasped and wriggled some more, but Shane didn't release her. And now Xander had slipped two fingers into her, pressing on her clitoris with a broad thumb. She squealed and trembled in response. She could feel both of them smile against her nipples and each man lifted a leg over one of hers, pinning her completely.

They continued to torment her, bringing her to climax over and over until she couldn't catch a breath. Finally released, Red gulped air for several minutes before growling, "Who's idea was that?" She had each one of the men by an ear and she shook them like bad puppies.

X whimpered and Shane squawked, "Hey! Easy!"

"Easy? Easy? After you tortured me like that?" She rolled over onto the SEAL and bit a nipple, making him squeak again. Eyes glinting with mischief, Red slid down his body, pinning his legs with her weight. She took him into her mouth and sucked him deep.

He inhaled sharply, freezing in position. She snickered; he was obviously afraid she might bite him **there.** Instead, she deep-throated him, tickling his balls with one hand and humming. "Oh, my God!" he yelped, curling up and groaning when she released his rock-hard organ with a pop.

Xander lay there watching with a snide smile until she turned to him. "Your turn, wiseass!" She lunged over him, flattening him onto his back and grabbed him, wrapping both hands around cock and balls.

"Red?!" He almost squeaked in surprise. She let go with one hand as she swallowed him, running her nails up his belly and pinching his nipple. Then she did the same thing to him and he groaned in dismay when she let go of his rigid cock.

Shane had come up to his knees behind her, intent on her ass. He just couldn't resist those sweet, rounded globes and he leaned in and kissed and licked her cheeks and up the crack between. She shivered in reaction, purring happily.

The little woman looked over her shoulder and smirked, lifting a brow. She suddenly swung over Xander and sank onto him with a sigh of enjoyment. Then she stretched herself over his belly and chest, raising her ass into the air. Shane took the hint quite happily and moved around behind her.

X just grinned and wrapped his arms over her shoulders, holding her down on his chest. Shane had a very serious expression on his face, frowning as he concentrated on entering her without hurting her. Xander smiled at his friend, he was always so careful of her. "She ain't gonna break, bro. Just do it. It's easier on her." He was holding her face against his chest, nose between his pecs so if she yelped, it would be muffled.

Red did squirm a bit, trying to push back into Shane and making little mewling noises. He figured he wasn't hurting her if she kept pushing back at him, so he pressed harder and slid fully in. He sighed, she was so tight and hot. Xander did, too, adding an "Oh, yeah!" as well.

He flexed himself and gave a little jerk of his hips. "Go for it , Shane. Feels so good. C'mon, man." He grinned up at the big man behind his woman and nodded at him to move. Red moaned in appreciation and agreed with a breathy, "Yes, please, Shane! Fuck me, lover. Deep and hard."

Holding her hips snugly, he followed orders like the good soldier he was. It didn't take them long to have her writhing and bucking, screaming out climax after climax. Shane slowed for a moment, to give her time to catch her breath and she hissed in annoyance, flexing herself and making X groan.

"Oh, shit, babe! Shane don't stop, man. She's driving me crazy!" Xander had an almost pained expression on his face, pleading with the SEAL to continue. Shane grinned down at him and twitched himself. Red squealed and Xander's eyes went wide. "Oh, fuck!" He yelled.

She glanced up over her shoulder at Shane and the knowing smirk on his face made her grin back. So he wanted to play, did he? Well, she could too. So she tightened her muscles as if trying to push him out. He gasped in surprise at how tight she suddenly got. It felt like his dick was in a vise; a soft, warm, wet one, to be sure. He moaned and rocked forward in response and she giggled. "Do you like that, lover?" She purred.

"Hell, yeah! Do it again... please!" He begged her. So she did, flexing every time he pressed into her and it had him grunting on every stroke in minutes. He moaned and whispered repeatedly, "Oh fuck! oh, fuck! Oh, God damn!" And curled forward, shuddering and gasping in a paroxysm of blinding pleasure.

While Shane bent over Red, still shivering from a very intense orgasm, Xander squirmed under her. The sensation of Shane's big cock pulsing against his own and her squeezing him drove him over the edge, too. He yelled, "Shit, shit! shit!" And panted harshly as he filled her with more hot fluids.

Shane finally collapsed onto his side, dragging a nearly unconscious Red with him. She moaned quietly, "Noooo!" as she slipped off Xander's softening cock. But the SEAL was still buried in her. And he stayed there, holding her tight against his groin. Everyone just lay quietly breathing until they came down.

After about five minutes, Shane thumped Xander on the shoulder. "Hey! Wake up! I wanna try something."

X groaned and opened one eye. "What?"

In answer, Shane rolled onto his back, Red now lying face up on him. She squeaked as he moved in her. He was still semi-hard and he pushed her legs apart by raising his knees. "Eat her." He ordered Xander.

The other big man's eyes lit up and he chuckled. "Oh, yeah! This should be fun!" He scooted down until he was lying between Shane's bent legs and and happily buried his face in her patch of fiery curls. Shane held her on his chest, a hand firmly cupping each of her breasts.

"Oh my God!" She screamed, and he shushed her, his face against the side of her head. He arched his hips a little and X continued to lave her sensitive flesh with a hot tongue, sometimes broad strokes up her whole pussy and sometimes just flicking over her clit with the pointed tip.

Every time she started to scream, Shane pinched her nipples just hard enough to make her gasp and shushed her. Xander held her open with one hand and tickled her entrance with the other.

Lifting his head for a moment to see how flushed she'd become, he watched her muscles pulse around Shane's cock. He suddenly got a very naughty idea and even as he lowered his face to her again, he slid his free hand up and cupped the other man's balls.

He rolled them gently and pressed his thumb into the soft, sensitive spot between the base of Shane's cock and the front of his ass.

"Shit, X! What the fuck?!" He squeaked. His whole body had bucked and now he was quivering in surprised pleasure.

"Feels good, don't it?" Xander growled. Shane just moaned. "So, shut up and enjoy." He laughed and kept tickling.

"Oh my God, X! What are you doing? He's so hard!" Red wailed.

"Mmm, me too, baby. Here I come." Xander lifted himself up and moved close, pushing Shane's knees further apart. "Hold on tight, bro." He plunged himself deep into her core, causing both his partners to gasp and moan.

Xander caught Red's flailing hands and held her as he drove himself into her. He'd gotten so wound up playing with them both, he grunted as he slammed home. He even drove the breath from Shane as he pounded himself into Red.

She was so wet from them, she actually splashed when Xander hit the bottom of her womb. She could feel his balls slapping against her and no doubt Shane could, too. He was jumping under her, his belly quivering and she knew he would come again, soon.

Didn't sound like it was going to take X long, either. She looked up at his ecstatic face, eyes closed, mouth open. He had a little frown of concentration wrinkling the center of his forehead and he whispered, "Fuck, fuck, fuck!" over and over.

She peaked first, squealing and wriggling. Her muscles automatically clamping down on her men and it was just what they needed. Both of them bellowed at nearly the same instant and flooded her with hot come. The strong pulses from two big cocks brought her over the edge again and she wailed in delight.

This time, when they collapsed, they all came apart. Red rolled off Shane so he could breathe, and Xander dropped beside her as if he'd been hit on the head. No one moved for some time.


	27. Chapter 30

_30******_

In fact, it was the smell of fresh coffee wafting from the kitchen that finally did cause them to stir. First Shane rolled over and literally fell off the bed, grumbling about banging his knees. The thump of him landing on the carpet woke Red and she stretched and sniffed, moaning. "Coffee! Oh, yeah."

She sat up and squinted at the digital clock. "Good grief! Who is up at this ungodly hour?" It was just past 7am.

Shane yawned and stood, stretching. "Probably Frank. Mike'll sleep in every chance he gets." He looked around for his shorts and pulled them on. "You want a cup?" She nodded and glanced at her other lover, who was still contentedly snoring into his pillow.

"Mmmm. I need a shower. Be out in a few." She staggered into the bathroom, moving stiffly as though she was hurting.

"You alright?" Shane frowned as he watched her.

"Yeah, yeah. Hot water'll cure me. Just a little sore." She grinned at him. "You are both big boys, you know." When he looked apologetic, she laughed. "I wouldn't have missed a minute of last night, Sweetie. I'm fine. Go make me coffee."

Frank was already out on the lanai when Shane made it to the kitchen. He was actually moving a little carefully himself, this morning. And not looking forward to having to urinate... he was pretty sure that was going to sting. But, he agreed with the redhead; he wouldn't have given up any of last night, either.

He sighed, pulling cream out of the fridge and the rest of the fruit platter. Suddenly, he was starving. He left Red's coffee on the vanity and wandered out to join his teammate, plate in hand.

Frank was sitting at the table, facing the surf and merely glanced up at Shane and nodded when he sat down. He helped himself to the fruit and looked his leader over with a critical eye. He looked tired, and he had some interesting stripes on his ribs. Frank just quirked a wry smile; served him right for playing with that little firecracker.

Shane scowled; he recognised that knowing grin. "What?" he barked, he really didn't want to hear any ribbing this early.

"Oh, nothing, Leut. You just look a little worse for wear this morning. This mission seems to have taken more than usual out of you." Frank answered, slyly. "Be good to get back home and rest up, huh?"

Shane's eyes narrowed; he knew what the other SEAL was suggesting. Get him back to base and away from Red. Get his mind back where it belonged. He snorted, annoyed, but he understood. His guys would be devastated if anything happened to him. "I'm fine, Frank. I'll be fine." He amended when the other SEAL just lifted a brow.

Frank dropped it; he'd made his point. He mentioned going to visit Sam and maybe getting in a little shopping for his daughter before they left for San Diego. Shane agreed, he would go to the hospital with Frank and stay with Sam while Frank ran his errand.

Red meandered out then, stopping to kiss the top of Shane's head before plopping onto a chaise. "Morning, Frank." She sighed, completely relaxed and totally unapologetic about him knowing she'd spent the night with his boss. "God, it's so beautiful here." She stared out at the ocean. She was wearing only a short, deep blue robe and matching panties. Her nipples were too tender for anything but satin, still.

"What are your plans today? The other guys are still sleeping. I' think I'm going to wait for X to get up before going anywhere." She spoke without looking at them, sipping at her coffee.

They told her and she nodded in agreement. "Okay. We'll stop by later and you can come back here or do whatever. Shall we meet back here for dinner, or did you want to go out? X will probably want to spend some time surfing today and I guess Mike will go with him?" They continued discussing plans and then Red decided to order breakfast, so they all trooped back inside to check the menu.

She knew four big guys would eat a lot. She ordered eggs Benedict for herself, steaks and eggs for the guys that were still sleeping and Frank and Shane wanted ham steaks with their eggs. She also ordered four rashers of toast, another fruit platter, fresh pineapple and orange juice.

Hopefully that would be enough, and she put on another pot of coffee. Wandering back outside, she collapsed into the chaise again. Her head fell back onto the pillow and she sighed. Red smiled and then hissed when Xander kissed her forehead and squeezed her breast.

"A little tender this morning, Sweetness?" He chuckled, nuzzling her throat. He plopped down beside her, sipping his coffee. "What's for breakfast? You order, yet?"

"Yes, I'm sensitive. And you get steak and eggs. Gotta keep up your strength." She grinned and winked, unrepentant.

He guffawed and almost spit out the mouthful of coffee. Wiping his chin of the dribble, he shook his head. "You are insatiable. But, I wanna surf today so you'll just have to wait until later."

"I figured you would. High tide isn't until after 11, so you'll have time to digest. Planning on taking Mikey with you?"

X nodded, "Yeah, if he wants to come." He shrugged. "Or I can go alone; don't matter to me."

"Well, I'm going to relax for a while. Maybe jacuzzi or go for a massage, and my nails are a disaster." She held up one hand, showing him the chipped and scratched up polish. Sand was wicked on nail polish.

He snorted, "I thought you seemed a little sharper than usual last night. And I know Shane felt it. You left him some nice stripes."

Her eyes got big. "He's okay, isn't he? I didn't cut him, did I?" She leaned to look around him.

"Nah, just some red lines. But close. He'll live." He chuckled. "I'm sure he's had worse."

Breakfast arrived, a different chef from last night cooking their steaks and eggs to order and serving them outside on the lanai. They munched on fruit and drank juice while they waited.

Red purred in appreciation after the first bite of her food. The sauce was delicious, smooth and creamy, the eggs just right, the Canadian bacon crispy and the muffin crunchy. The men all watched her eat with various expressions of amusement. She obviously enjoyed every bite, actually wiggling in delight and rolling her eyes at the flavour and textures.

Naturally, X had to make a comment about the way she licked up the sauce. Mike sniggered and Shane smacked him in shoulder. Frank just looked slightly annoyed, as if he had expected it. Red scooped some onto her finger and sucked it off slowly, staring Xander right in the eye as she did. Then she laughed when he gulped and blew out a sharp breath. Shane blushed, making her laugh louder.

Breakfast finished, everyone headed in different directions. They had decided to meet at the hospital, then find a restaurant for dinner. After that, the SEALs would pack and head for the base. Their flight home wasn't leaving until 10pm. Xander and Red weren't scheduled to depart until the following morning.

Sam was delighted to have company; he was going stir crazy stuck in the small room. Even though he had a view of the ocean out his window. He was up today, sitting in a lounge chair, his injured leg propped on a pillow.

And he had good news; the doctors had decided he was not at risk for a clot, so he could go home with his team. He was already packed, just waiting for flight time. The only disappointment for him was that he couldn't surf with X and Mike.

Red collected the boys from the beach and they stopped to see the injured man mid afternoon. Shane was snoring peacefully, stretched out on Sam's hospital bed. Sam was playing the Gameboy X had brought him. Red stopped the two mischief makers from waking Shane, shaking her head 'no' and putting a finger to her lips. X made a face, but obeyed. Mike just propped himself against the wall behind Sam, watching him kill miniature space monsters.

Sam's physician came in just after Frank came back. He stopped short when he saw the room full of people, frowning. He had the SEAL's discharge instructions, so he didn't say anything. He rightly assumed the men were the rest of his patient's team and the woman didn't look like she'd take any nonsense, either. She was sitting on one of the biggest guy's lap, obviously his... something. Or maybe, he was hers.

He got Sam's signature and admonished him to take it easy and make sure he was seen by the base hospital when he arrived back on the mainland. Sam cheerfully agreed with everything the doctor said, and Red told him not worry, they would make sure he behaved. Somehow the doctor didn't doubt her one bit.

They relaxed for short while after the physician left, discussing what plans they had for after they returned home. Mike was anxious to get back to his fiancee and invited, actually insisted, that Red and Xander come to his wedding. They laughingly agreed, Xander asking if it was okay if he came dressed in black... after all, it was Mike's funeral. Red smacked him saying she wasn't sure Rosie would appreciate it.

Frank would stop to visit his daughter and his sister, (where the little one lived while he was deployed). Sam was going to go home to recuperate; he hadn't seen his folks in months and it would give his mom an excuse to fuss over him. Shane had work to catch up on, he said the paperwork was never ending and only got worse the higher up the ladder you went. Red gave him a look and he said he might do some visiting, too. She grinned, "LA or Colorado?"

Xander was anxious to get home; he'd left several projects up in the air to go surf. Jay had been 'bitchin' me out' as he put it to get some promotional videos finished and he had to attend a couple of contests, too. "Gotta keep that woman happy or I get no peace," he sighed in an exaggerated display of put upon acceptance. The SEALs just snorted and Red chuckled.

Then she announced she had already made dinner plans for them all. They had reservations at  
>Paradise Cove near Ko Olina, west of Pearl Harbor for their luau. When the group, (minus X), protested, she held up a hand.<p>

"It's our last night together and I want us all to enjoy it. Who knows when we'll all be able to get together again? You guys work so hard, you deserve to have a little fun... and I know you're gonna love the hula dancers." She giggled with a twinkle in her eye. She looked right at X and purred, 'And so will I." He frowned and she laughed, "You'll see."

She checked her watch and announced it was time to head for the estate. So everyone trooped out to the SUV Xander had rented, loaded their gear in the back and headed for their evening's entertainment.

They had a blast, taking part in some of the activities offered, loaded with leis and kisses from the beautiful wahines, plied with free mai tais and stuffed with delicious island delicacies. When the staff discovered Sam was a wounded sailor, they took special care of him; he even got his own personal hula dance... and more leis and kisses.

By the time the evening wound down, they just had time to make the airport for the team's flight back to Coronado. The SEALs changed from civvies to khakis and Xander drove back to Hickam. The guys exchanged handshakes, shoulder bumps and ribbing as they said goodbye.

X insisted on hugging Shane as if he was a long-lost brother, even kissing his cheek and making him blush. His heart-felt, "I love you, man!" didn't help, either. Shane mumbled something back no one else heard, but it made X grin. "You're not so far away, you know. Come visit."

Red gave hugs and kisses all around, even Frank stooping down for his and smiling after. She had whispered something in his ear that he refused to share. It seemed to relax him and he sighed contentedly. Didn't even blink as she said goodbye to his leader.

Shane just stood looking at her for a minute before sighing. She stared back up at his solemn face and her smile disappeared. When she blinked rapidly, shiny-eyed, he quickly grabbed her and lifted her into a fierce hug, muttering into her collar. "No tears, no tears. Please. I hate when you cry. Tears me up inside."

She sniffed once and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging back just as tightly. "Okay. I promise, no tears. I'm going to miss you, Sweetie. I love you, Shane. You stay safe, okay?"

"Yes, ma'am. I love you, too. Red. You be careful and keep that big idiot out of trouble. Well, as much as possible, anyway." He smiled over her head at Xander. X nodded back, winked and moved forward to take her from his arms. He knew what Shane hadn't said out loud; he was depending on Xander to take care of her.

Their flight was called and they slowly made their way down the long hallway, Mike carrying his duffel and Frank's, while he pushed Sam's wheelchair. Shane trailed them, military straight and didn't look back.

Xander cradled his woman in his arms, feeling her vibrate in her effort to hold back tears. She'd promised Shane and she kept her promises. He would take her back to their hotel and make gentle love to her, all night if he had to, to help her relieve the pain of losing her lover. Hell, he already missed him, too. But they'd all be fine and he had no doubt they'd be together again some day. Maybe soon.

~~~FINI~~~


End file.
